NOW IS THE TIME TO BE HEARD
Go ahead, get mad. Get loud. Then vote.
We’ve never liked writing about the immoral Donald Trump and his “big lie,” especially when he deliberately incited a coup attempt to keep power when he clearly lost — and knew he lost — the 2020 election. But we like less writing about Tennessee and Georgia federal lawmakers who continue to propagate his lies and cling to him and his Trumpism.
We’ve never liked writing about abortion. But we like even less writing about the Tennessee and Georgia elected officials who want to pretend the majority of us don’t think abortion should remain legally accessible. When we do. Those lawmakers also want us to believe they, like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, aren’t looking forward to even more rights reversals.
We’ve never liked writing so much about too many guns on the streets, but we like less feeling compelled to writing about Republican-controlled Tennessee and Georgia legislatures and GOP Congress and Senate members who refuse to vote for common-sense gun safety regulations. Yes, here we’re specifically referring to Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty who couldn’t find it in their thoughts and prayers to vote for the bipartisan gun deal last month.
Likewise we’re talking about every single Republican Tennessee and Georgia member of the U.S. House of Representatives who couldn’t find any value in expanding background checks for prospective gun buyers between the ages of 18 and 21. Who didn’t want to incentivize states to provide access to juvenile records for background checks. Who didn’t think adding a few days to the purchase waiting period was a good idea.
Not one of them — despite all their talk about “mentally ill shooters” and “hardening schools” — would agree to provide $15 billion in new federal funding for mental health programs and school security upgrades.
Nor would they OK the provision of $750 million for grants to encourage states to create “red flag” laws allowing law enforcement to ask courts to remove guns from someone deemed a threat to themselves or others.
And, no, they wouldn’t close the “boyfriend loophole” in an existing law that prevents people convicted of domestic abuse from owning a gun.
Finally, we’ve never liked writing about prayer and religion in schools. Our position has long been that no one can stop you from praying as long as you keep it to yourself and out of our classrooms, ballfields and council chambers.
But we so less like writing that those public Christian prayers now being fully sanctioned by the conservative Supreme Court.
What happens when those public prayers in middle of the ballfield or in schools and other public meetings are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or — gasp — Satanic?
So it’s time to get mad, time to get loud.
Don’t let these jokers continue to say they are “doing what my constituents say they want.”
Make sure they know as a constituent, you don’t want them to turn their backs on gun safety laws, you think abortion should be legally available, you do not think church and state should be blended. Make sure they know you want their public acknowledgement that Trump was defeated in the election by a fairly and rightfully elected President Joe Biden.
Write them cordial but firm letters. Leave them clear messages. Address them on their Facebook pages. Talk back to them on their Twitter accounts.
Get their attention! Then vote.
TENNESSEE REPUBLICANS
Sen. Bill Hagerty — 202-224-4944, hagerty.senate.gov
Sen. Marsha Blackburn — 202-224-3344, blackburn.senate. gov/contact_marsha
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann — 202-225-3271, fleischmann.house.gov/contact
Rep. Scott DesJarlais — 202-225-6831, desjarlais.house.gov/ contact
Rep. Mark Green — 202-225-2811, markgreen.house.gov/ contact
Rep. Tim Burchett — 202-225-5435, burchett.house.gov/ contact
Rep. David Kustoff — 202-225-4714, kustoff.house.gov/ contact
Rep. Diana Harshbarger — 202-225-6356, harshbarger. house.gov/contact
Rep. John Rose — 202-225-4231, johnrose.house.gov/contact
GEORGIA REPUBLICANS
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — 202-225-5211, greene. house.gov/contact
Rep. Andrew Clyde — 202-225-9893, clyde.house.gov/ contact
Rep. Rick Allen — 202-225-2823, hallen.house.gov/contact
Rep. Drew Ferguson — 202-225-5901, ferguson.house.gov/ contact
Rep. Buddy Carter — 202-225-5831, buddycarter.house.gov/ contact
Rep. Barry Loudermilk — 202-225-2931, loudermilk.house. gov/contact
Rep. Austin Scott — 202-225-6531, austinscott.house.gov/ contact
Rep. Jody Hice — 202-225-4101, hice.house.gov/contact