Welcome to The Conservative Cave©!Join in the discussion! Click HERE to register.
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Star Member Atticus (15,048 posts)https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217788359A serious post. Please consider.Most of us would agree that a law---or even a parental rule---that is never enforced is worse than useless because it actually encourages the activity or conduct sought to be discouraged. Additionally, such "empty threats" erode respect for their source.But, what about abuses of authority such as when a legislature dominated by one party simply votes to expel members of the opposing party? This is what is happening right now in Tennessee: the Republicans are expelling the Democrats and voiding their IDs. The action may have been taken by following the procedures governing the legislature, but can anyone say it is not a serious abuse of those procedures?If this is ALLOWED to stand, does that not render the "rules" worse than useless if they can be so abused? Will this not erode respect for legislative actions; for the law; for democracy itself?Isn't ignoring the abuse of government authority as bad as simply ignoring authority?If all the expelled Democrats plus a few thousand of their supporters flooded into the Tennessee Capitol and vowed to stay until this was reversed, what would happen?If you have a better idea for opposing this outrage in a meaningful way, please share it.SOMETHING needs to be done! As Officer Malone asked Elliot Ness in The Untouchables, "What are you prepared to do?"
Star Member Tanuki (14,253 posts) 1. The TN GOP legislature made that a felony a couple of years ago.https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/12/tennessee-passes-law-targeting-protesters-makes-capitol-camping-felony/3354879001/"As protesters continued their two-month, round-the-clock demonstration just outside Capitol doors, the Tennessee legislature on Wednesday approved a bill that will make it easier for state troopers to file charges against the group.The legislation was promised by House leadership in early June when demonstrations against police brutality — and later against Gov. Bill Lee and the General Assembly — began increasing in Nashville....The legislation also requires that protesters charged with unauthorized camping, vandalism of state property, disrupting a meeting and certain other protest-related offenses be held for at least 12 hours without bond, by default. A magistrate must argue in writing that the defendant won't resume the behavior to avoid the mandatory hold."....(more)
Star Member Chin music (22,184 posts) 10. There's GOT to be some case somewhere that says a majoritycan't legislate away your opponents/the minority.If a State did do that, it shouldn't pass Sup crt...muster should it?
Liberty Belle (9,358 posts) 15. A boycott of Tennessee - get Nashville stars to cancel concerts, companies to threaten to move away,and tourists to cancel visits of all sorts there. Also start a national campaign for millions of people to tie up every office's phone and fax lines with protest messages. Have someone follow the Governor everywhere he goes with protesters (no camping.) Have someone dress like a masked bandit to show how he is stealing democracy. Start a mail-in campaign to every legislator and the governor sending some object that is bulky and will fill up their offices with protest messages attached. The Dem party should mobilize every voter in the state and beyond.Call a statewide walk-out and shut everything down.Protest outside their homes.And fight that unconstitutional law in state and federal courts.
Oh, it's perfectly fine when your side swarms a capitol?
