Tennessee Stands

Absolutely must take a moment to thank the Joint Gov Ops Committee for the absolute BEST committee meeting of the 112th General Assembly here in TN. Thank you for standing up for our children, our parental rights, our personal choice regarding healthcare, and the limitations requested of the Dept of Health.

We filed a lawsuit against Gov Bill Lee on Aug 27, 2020, hoping to get some relief from the court on the tyrannical edicts being thrown about by our new king and sovereign. But here we are nearing one year later, and we are heading to the appellate court. Why? Because the judge threw us out on standing, refusing to even address the constitutionality of Tennessee's emergency powers statute. Meanwhile, in Kentucky, a court has once again ruled that these mandates from governors who pretend to have the authority to pass laws are unconstitutional. The Governor has ignored us. The General Assembly has ignored us. And now the courts do the same. But we will not give in. This must get fixed in Tennessee and we can never let this happen again. Medical freedom is important. Election integrity is critical to the security of our republic. But we cannot relent on the fight to also fix this egregious emergency powers statute that has handed unlimited power to a governor, mayors, health departments, and other unelected administrators. If we aren't committed to ensuring that our branches of government do not exceed their constitutional authority and only operate within the boundaries set by "we the people," then let's just hang the whole thing up. We've lost it all. Stay with us on this one. We must win!

There is just no other way to say it. Bill Lee is a liar. The Governor of Tennessee went on one of the most watched nightly news shows (Hannity) and told the nation that children in Tennessee have all been in school over the past year and when asked if our students are wearing masks...he said NO. The truth? The majority of our students across the state of Tennessee including higher education have been in masks including all faculty. And how did this come to be? By the Governor's own hand in Executive Order No. 55 signed on July 31, 2020, Governor Bill Lee himself "strongly encouraged" ALL schools in Tennessee to REQUIRE face coverings for all staff and students. The Governor tweeted that students in higher ed can show care and concern for others by wearing a mask. Yet, the Governor tells Sean Hannity on national news that our students don't wear masks in Tennessee because we follow the science. LIAR!!!!!!

Do not be intimidated. A Williamson County judge has opined in a court ruling that school boards in Tennessee have no basis of authority to issue mask mandates. Stand your ground and demand that your rights be respected.

We received our ruling against Williamson County Schools and we won!!! While the judge did not grant us standing in the case and therefore did not strike down the school mask regulation directly from the bench, the court ruled that local school boards HAVE NO AUTHORITY to issue requirements for face coverings. Go celebrate and take the masks off of your children! https://tennesseestands.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/williamson.schools.memorandum.order_.pdf UPDATE: What should you do next? Parents across the state of Tennessee need to organize and bring this ruling before your school boards now! Per the judge's ruling, they have NO AUTHORITY to continue with mask mandates. They now know that if you send your child to school without a mask and they are sent home or discriminated against in any way, they have a lawsuit on their hands. Be bold! Be loud! The law and liberty is on your side.

Senator Richard Briggs of Knoxville says that it is important for him to protect your "freedom from fear" by denying your constitutionally secured right of conscience. It is honestly hard to watch the stupidity that exists in this General Assembly. There is just no other way to say it. Yesterday (April 28th), SB 187 was heard on the Senate Floor. This is the bill that was set to secure religious exemptions to vaccines in our state but was amended to death by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. Here again, Senator Janice Bowling goes to bat for our constitution on the Senate floor. Then come the RINOs working to strip you of every bit of dignity that you have left. We have got to take back our Tennessee.

Thank you to Todd Starnes for taking the Governor to task over the extension of emergency authority here in Tennessee and the ticker-tape parade being thrown across the country for nothing short of completely false statements being made by this administration. In this interview, the Governor states that the remarks being made by Tennessee Stands are false. So, let's layout a few facts. 1. The Governor stated that COVID-19 no longer presents an emergency here in our state. FACT: Yet, in a press conference, the Governor by his own admission renewed the state of emergency for federal dollars. In other words, your constitutionally secured liberty is for sale. 2. The Governor stated that he would NOT renew any public health orders. FACT: By EO 80, the Governor renewed EO 77, a public health order giving (6) metro health departments emergency powers to continue issuing restrictions on businesses through May 31. 3. The Governor stated that businesses in Tennessee have faced no restrictions in Tennessee for the last 8 months. FACT: Businesses in Knox county have faced restrictions until very recent changes to the authority of the Board of Health. Businesses in Davidson County are under restrictions until May 15th, and then still under mask mandates through at least June (says the Davidson Co Department of Health). Businesses in Shelby County are still under restrictions supposedly until May 31. 4. The Governor says that because of state statute, there is nothing that he can about the current restrictions of the Shelby County Health Department. FACT: Metro Health Departments currently gain their authority to place greater restrictions on businesses from EO 77, not state statute. Had the Governor simply allowed EO 77 to fully expire, the Shelby County Health Department's emergency authority would have ceased tonight at 11:59pm. FACT: Our Governor routinely says one thing but by his actions, does another. The day that Gov. Bill Lee says that he supports something, and then fully backs actions that actually accomplish what he said he was going to do, we throw an official ticker-tape parade.

What the Governor actually said, and didn't say, about our state of emergency here in Tennessee.

Great interview with a new group called the Tennessee Freedom Doctors. You can find them at tnfreedomdoctors.org. Please get to know Dr. Denise Sibley and Connie Reguli who are beginning a great work here in TN for medical freedom and working to create a coalition of like-minded medical and legal experts to provide patients access to the treatment they need including fighting for a "right to try" when it is the right thing to do for the patient.

Nothing less than an honor to be on the Steve Deace Show yesterday. Here's the clip. And might I add, make sure to go out and get your copy of Steve's new book, Faucian Bargain https://www.amazon.com/Faucian-Bargain-Powerful-Dangerous-Bureaucrat/dp/1637581114/ Currently, it is the #1 bestseller on Amazon and #1 according to the Wall Street Journal. Also, make sure to become subscribers to BlazeTV.com. We are.

Want to share your personal story of why you can't comply with mask mandates from businesses and government entities? Go to https://wecantcomply.com and record or upload your video story directly on our website. Want more information about how to fight mandates in Tennessee and in your state? Visit https://tennesseestands.org Just another video showing how exciting and freeing it is to wear a mask. Everyone is doing it and it's the right thing to do. Also, just another propaganda piece produced by Gov. Bill Lee and the State of Tennessee with your tax dollars. Fair Use Statement (PARODY): This video contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright holders. The material is made available in this video as a way to introduce an opposing point of view to the message being portrayed and encourage critical thinking and a conversation around salient political and social issues. The material is presented for entirely non-profit educational purposes. There is no reason to believe that the featured media will in any way negatively affect the market value of the copyrighted works. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. For additional information on copyright law and fair use, please visit https://copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

Let's all be crystal clear on what is happening here. Gov. Bill Lee had no problem whatsoever calling you nonessential and shutting down your business with the stroke of a pen by executive order. And for the next year, he left local control to health departments to continue to reign terror over your business. But when it comes to protecting the general public from the use of vaccine passports, we don't regulate businesses here in Tennessee. Are you keeping track of this?

Ladies and Gentlemen, our win yesterday with SB 187 is not at all what it is cracked up to be. We finally got our hands on the secret amendment that was penned last minute right before the vote and it's not pretty. I'll never shy away from telling you the truth, even when it hurts. We will never stop fighting. That is simply not an option.

Want to share your personal story of why you can't comply with mask mandates from businesses and government entities? Go to https://wecantcomply.com and record or upload your video story directly on our website. Want more information about how to fight mandates in Tennessee and in your state? Visit https://tennesseestands.org Just another video showing how exciting and freeing it is to wear a mask. Everyone is doing it and it's the right thing to do. Also, just another propaganda piece produced by Gov. Bill Lee and the State of Tennessee with your tax dollars. Fair Use Statement (PARODY): This video contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright holders. The material is made available in this video as a way to introduce an opposing point of view to the message being portrayed and encourage critical thinking and a conversation around salient political and social issues. The material is presented for entirely non-profit educational purposes. There is no reason to believe that the featured media will in any way negatively affect the market value of the copyrighted works. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. For additional information on copyright law and fair use, please visit https://copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

Folks, we are going to leave nothing to chance and leave everything on the table. These committees do not seem to be getting the message that Tennesseans want the legislature to secure our liberty and remove the threat of being forced to receive vaccines or medical treatment. So, we are going to show up from all across Tennessee on Wednesday, March 31st at 1:30 PM at the Legislative Plaza (https://goo.gl/maps/2u1JiMPHV5BdNoQHA) right in front of The Capitol in Nashville. We need you there. Tell everyone.

Tennessee 112th General Assembly SB 320 / HB 794 https://tennesseestands.org/legislation As introduced, prohibits a person from denying an individual the full and equal enjoyment of goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommodation, resort, or amusement on the grounds of the wearing or use of a medical device, or whether the individual has received medical treatment. “I've owned my business for over 30 years. Last year, the government called on business owners to act as law enforcement agents and healthcare experts, and it’s out of bounds. Many business owners in Tennessee are much more afraid of over-reaching officials sanctioning them, fining them, or arbitrarily shutting them down for not acting as enforcers than they are of the actual COVID-19 virus. I started and run my company to help people, just like every other entrepreneur I know. Let’s pass the Medical Non-Discrimination Business and Consumer Act here in Tennessee so business owners can get back to doing what they to do best: Serving their customers.” - Dave Ramsey

Here is a play-by-play on statements made during the Health Subcommittee hearing on House Bill 10, the Religious Exemption Protection Act, on Tuesday, March 2nd. The bill died in committee. And clearly, our lawmakers do not understand the meaning of a religious exemption, much less the constitutional security of a right of conscience. Further, the Tennessee General Assembly has decided to leave its options open in terms of mandating vaccines over various portions of the population. But don't let that worry you. They say they'll never do it. It was a hard loss. But the win is that you get to see what we are up against. And now it is time to work that much harder coming into 2022.

UPDATE: The Religious Exemption Protection Act (HB 10) is getting rolled to next week. The bill will NOT be heard in committee today on Feb 23rd. The bill requires a small amendment to gain the needed support. And honestly, we believe this to be a reasonable and prudent amendment. Please see the video for details.

Download the fully referenced statement at https://www.tennesseestands.org/repa.pdf Statement to the Tennessee General Assembly in support of HB0010 / SB0007 to secure religious exemptions to vaccines in our state. Please vote yes on this bill.

We are thankful that SB 320, the Medical Non-Discrimination Business and Consumer Act is now getting national attention. We are getting calls from groups in several states asking for help with drafting similar legislation for their respective states. This is important. One of the misconceptions about the bill surrounds the issue of "private property" rights. Do businesses have a constitutional liberty right to make demands on consumers to wear masks, submit to testing, or perhaps show proof of vaccination before entry? Some say yes. We emphatically say no. Please watch this video to understand our position on this important question. At the very least, hear us out.

We are thankful that SB 320, the Medical Non-Discrimination Business and Consumer Act is now getting national attention. We are getting calls from groups in several states asking for help with drafting similar legislation for their respective states. This is important. One of the misconceptions about the bill surrounds the issue of "private property" rights. Do businesses have a constitutional liberty right to make demands on consumers to wear masks, submit to testing, or perhaps show proof of vaccination before entry? Some say yes. We emphatically say no. Please watch this video to understand our position on this important question. At the very least, hear us out.

When times of uncertainty come suddenly upon a people there must be a foundation upon which we stand that shall remain immovable, permanent, and secure. Since the birth of our nation, that foundation has always been God. And from that Fountain of authority, we acknowledged certain inalienable rights existing outside of any government as they are God-given, pre-political, and absolute, and as such we determined to give legitimacy to any form of government only by the consent of the people over which it governs. Our Tennessee Constitution acknowledges these absolute rights and further secures them by way of a Declaration of Rights which are “excepted out of the general powers of the government, and shall forever remain inviolate.” As such, our Constitution stands as a bulwark for liberty and a reminder to all generations of Tennesseans and all who have and shall serve as elected representatives of this State that our liberties are at no time up for negotiation. They shall be forever retained by the People.

Please consider donating at www.tennesseestands.org/donate When times of uncertainty come suddenly upon a people there must be a foundation upon which we stand that shall remain immovable, permanent, and secure. Since the birth of our nation, that foundation has always been God. And from that Fountain of authority, we acknowledged certain inalienable rights existing outside of any government as they are God-given, pre-political, and absolute, and as such we determined to give legitimacy to any form of government only by the consent of the people over which it governs. Our Tennessee Constitution acknowledges these absolute rights and further secures them by way of a Declaration of Rights which are “excepted out of the general powers of the government, and shall forever remain inviolate.” As such, our Constitution stands as a bulwark for liberty and a reminder to all generations of Tennesseans and all who have and shall serve as elected representatives of this State that our liberties are at no time up for negotiation. They shall be forever retained by the People.

Why am I so concerned about HB0007? Because we need to fix it. The bill aims to remove policymaking authority from health departments across the state who are unelected and unaccountable to the people. This is a good thing! And we support that effort. However, the bill then hands off that power (in an emergency) to the county mayor. This is a break in the separation of powers, unconstitutional, and the very issue at the core that we have been fighting regarding our state's emergency powers statute. In its current form, the bill seeks to fix one constitutional crisis by simply creating another. That is something that we cannot support. Please view this video. Be informed. And PLEASE share the link with your legislators and ask them to watch. We don't want to kill the bill. We want to fix it.

The special session on education will move fast and probably be over in the next few days. Certainly, I am not able to capture everything in this video, and some things are bound to change as these bills make their way to a vote. But here are some important things that you need to be aware of and bills to pay attention to. The most frustrating thing about all of it is that at the end of the day, we are working to fix problems that we created ourselves and throwing tax dollars at solutions that are only band-aids to what our students are facing. Stay watchful. And check your email! We'll be sending out updates as things progress.