There is currently before the Tennessee State Legislature a bill which sets out to nullify the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding Same Sex Marriage...and, for that matter any other ruling by that or any other body which disagrees with the ultra-conservative Tennessee State Legislature.
Admitting that the proposed law would, on its adoption, be both illegal and unconstitutional, the leadership of both houses of the Tennessee Legislature contend that the cost and embarrassment to the citizens of this state take a back seat to the collective religious convictions of our lawmakers.
While I do not see it happening in the short-term future, I hold the absolute conviction that such attacks on the reason and intelligence of the people of this nation must stop, and now.
If you dare, follow me just below the squiggledoodlethingey fold, and I'll tell you why.
Filed today, the "Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act" would mandate that:
"Natural marriage between one (1) man and one (1) woman as recognized by the people of Tennessee remains the law in Tennessee, regardless of any court decision to the contrary," the bill states.
"Any court decision purporting to strike down natural marriage, including (a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision), is unauthoritative, void, and of no effect."
Let's just bypass, at least for the moment, all the attendant hype and gnashing of teeth which seems to naturally occur any time any subject from, about, or of the South dares to show it's face around here. That is purely a distraction from this particular diary.
It should also be noted that, while the Bill was being introduced under the Dome, there were more than four hundred people outside in a "Religious Liberty Rally". The list of speakers, besides the authors of the proposed legislation was most interesting:
Speakers included Joe Davis, husband of embattled Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis; Rafael Cruz, father of GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz; state Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma; and several state and nationally recognized religious leaders.
"We will not acquiesce, we will not go quietly into the night. We will stand for religious liberty!" Cruz yelled, to screams from the crowd.
According to the authors and sponsors of the Bill, (
at the rally):
"Marriage is between a man and a woman in Tennessee," Pody yelled, to roars from the crowd.
"We're going to tell the attorney general, he will defend marriage in Tennessee as it is written on our constitution," Beavers said, immediately after Pody.
According to the primary sponsor of the proposed legislation, which will be addressed in the next session of the Legislature in January, 2016, the bill itself has only one motivation:
"This is spiritual warfare!" (Rep. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon).
No, it is not "spiritual" warfare. It is an assault on our Federal Constitution, and upon the laws which govern our land, and the people who live under them. Some opposing my view will say the SCOTUS decision is an assault upon our State Constitution. It is not. This bill, filled mostly with reasons to nullify any law that some members of our citizenry happen to disagree with, is nothing more than an unveiled attack upon the right of federal governance. It's authors and supporters say so publicly, openly, proudly.
Furthermore, this proposed legislation not only continues the attack upon the LBGT community in our State, but intends to intensify that attack--and makes it publicly acceptable.
This bill is an embarrassment, a humiliation and nefarious assault which would not only rationalize and justify hatred on a State level, but would seek to authorize and openly defy (via nullification) the simple reality of federal governance. This is a hate bill, to be certain. Even the proposers admit as much.
The danger lies in the realization that, in this particular state, the ultra-conservative Tea Party (Yes, it's true. They began here.) terrorists and desiccated, hyperbolic, most un-Christ following Neanderthal conservative, evangelical warriors do in fact hold the nearly never before heard levels of power where I live, work, and struggle daily.
The dangers present in this bill lie purely in it's intents, which the authors openly, publicly, and unabashedly endorse, support and encourage. The danger in this bill is the open presumption of agreement with what it would attempt to bring upon us. All of us. The danger in this bill is that it commits our State to one more step on the road to anarchy, oligarchy, plutocracy, and theocracy.
The danger in this bill is that it openly pronounces the hatred and puerile attitudes of a majority of our electeds, and pours it out, without consent, information, or advice upon the heads, hearts, souls and spirits of their electors. That includes me.
That is dangerous.
If there is community acknowledgement of the impossibility of this bill being found to be constitutional--by jany court of competent jurisdiction, why work for its passage?
Therein lies the greatest danger of all.
The usefulness of proposing this particular bill is in its added proof of non-recognition among the citizenry, the authors' wager of silence as the response from the masses. The expense to the public purse will not be measured as an outrage, and is a tariff the citizens are willing (or at least going) to pay.
The wager is one of a powerful hand: silent consent. No matter the real objective, this wager is the one that matters most.
This piece of proposed legislation is one which I will most willingly go
"All In" against as my wager.
The authors of this bill anticipate silent consent. I'm willing to bet that their hole card just won't bring them to "the river". (Sincerest apologies to my "Hold 'em" friends.)
Even with all the evidence against my stand which can be seen at any moment of any day around here, still I know there are citizens in this State who will find the very notion of such a bill to be counter to their basic instincts: as citizen.
I'll take my stand, and hope that democracy is not dead yet in Tennessee. It may well turn out to be a fool's bet. I admit that possibility. But, I've met a lot of folks around these parts. I mean a lot of folks.
I don't want to fight this fight, because the very idea that such a battle is necessary boggles my very mind. I don't want to fight this battle alone. Should it turn out to be the case, well....
If battle it be, let them have no doubt: one hell of a battle it will be!