Airport in Nashville. Joan Baez just happened to be on the plane from Nashville with Representative Jones.
Gun control in Tennessee is practically non-existant. Children are dead.
Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson, representatives in the Tennessess State Legislature, spoke in the chamber against guns and the two Justins were expelled from the Legislature. Ms Johnson was not (she is White).
Heather Cox Richardson wrote about this today.
With all the great music coming out of Nashville, this incident has hit a very sour note.
One year the Virginia Legislature made national news because the older Ds, still a slight majority, had locked horns with the edgy young Rs. I think it was my Delegate’s second year. Anyway all these dignified young men and women in dark grey suits were chanting in chorus “Objection! Objection! Objection!”
I suppose it was a little more dignified than using a bullhorn. My Delegate’s still in the legislature, now very senior, once threatened with being “drafted” for US Senate.
My husband said “Are you embarrassed by that relative of yours?”
I said, “No, he has a right to his objections!”
So have the Justins. But I wish they’d wake up. They think a gun ban will help? DC had a gun ban when I was there. There is no such thing as a universal gun ban. Some people will always be armed, so disarming other people is painting targets on their backs. I thought a gun ban might help DC, in 1983. I was so wrong. Almost every day we heard of another young man being shot or stabbed in the back. It was possible to tell people at home “The murders are mostly in residential neighborhoods, not the offices and tourist attractions where I work,” but before it was over I think everyone had lost a student, a friend’s grandson, some sort of acquaintance. Most of the guys were involved in illegal drugs in some way–rich White men got the profit, poor Black men got killed!–and some were only fourteen or fifteen years old.
I can’t fathom how the Justins think any part of Tennessee needs that.
More attention to the drugs involved in homicide-suicides might actually help, but the corporations pay the newspapers not to report THAT! (PCP and some other street drugs were involved, but prescription medications started being reported more often.)
EDUCATION. EDUCATION. EDUCATION. Parents who know nothing about guns cannot teach their kids about guns. Guns are to kill, not wound, not to show of with (god forbid), guns are to kill. Target practice is another ball game. Mama loves to shoot at carnivals and win things. But she is educated to her toes about guns. Practically no one is. And she could no more shoot an animal or bird than fly to the moon! Awareness changes with knowledge and time and the outrageous number of killings in the USA. It simply does not happen in Europe, not on that scale, anywhere, except in warring countries, Sudan, Ukraine, Mexico among cartels. There seems to be no end to killings in the USA. The Justins were correct to protest calmly if only to draw attention to the outdated laws in Tennessee. And while we are at it: mama wishes that people would STOP telling women what to do or not do with their own bodies!!! Get a few men pregnant and maybe they would get it.
I’m glad that Mr. Jones was reinstated today.
Yes, a wise move, finally.
Yes. He has his right to peaceful protest!
Everyone has that right. But many do not keep it peaceful Jan 6th showed us that.
I try hard not to let it get to me – the state of the world I mean – but it’s difficult when we’re surrounded by so much insanity isn’t it?!
Hugs, Pam
We try, too, Teds and Pam and David, but sometimes it just whacks you over the head! At least the two Jusins are back in the fray. And a fray it is, in Tennessee!
Politics is so messed up these days…everywhere in this land.
Oui, you never know what’s going to come about and sometimes it is positive. Sometimes…..
It is very sad. XO
The news over here has been discouraging, to say the least – although Jones was reinstated yesterday and the other young man will probably be too. The shootings at a bank in Louisville KY and the suicide of a young cat rescuer in the Pacific NWest has saddened so many of us.
Joan Baez must have felt like nothing much has changed ! Back then the chant was “Hey Hey LBJ How many kids did you kill today ?” When the Two Justins were expelled the protestors were chanting “You ban books ! You ban drags ! Kids are still in body bags !”
OMC, that is one heckuva chant. We did not see that in our articles. Jeez, Louise, when will this stop, when there are so many NRA advocates and the NRA is against all rules about assault weapons. Does anyone remember when private individuals did NOT HAVE MULTIPLE GUNS IN THIER HOUSES? The world has taken a turn for the worse and we hope it can right itself one day.
I think some news media make things sound worse than they are. I still don’t have multiple guns in my house. One pair of grandparents didn’t, because they were plain farmers; the other pair did, because target shooting was the grandmother’s sport. What’s changed is what people do with guns, under what influences.
Mama sold her under and over Francote “ladie’s” shotgun long ago, but she grew up in Texas and her brother was on an army shooting team, so he taught her how to deal with firearms. Still, no guns around now. Not even water guns for the kids.
A travesty…horrible.
Good word. Travesty of Justins/Justice.
Lots of shocking news out of Tennessee this week for sure. You have a darling little tummy Ms. LouLou!
Awww…merci for that sweet comment. My tummy is cared for quite well around here, with grubs and rubs, haha.
i know, isn’t this just absurd that they are able to get away with this in this day and age. just mind boggling, you would think that that would be illegal.
there is no accounting for the level of stupid that is going on here.
Yes, funny how some peculiar anthros think that behavior like this is “legal”, when ranting against actually legal actions, such as Roe vs Wade.
We were glad to hear that one Justin was heading back and the other would probably follow soon. Shame on those legislators.
Shame doesn’t seem to bother them, unfortunately. Mama’s not sure they know that word. Among many others, as in justice, ethical, conscientious, we could go on for a long time…equality, racist, don’t get me started.