On the Ground Report from Our Man in France by Romain (4/16/23)
Eviction and return by Phil Hunter
A ray of hope is found in the rhetoric.
Upon the rise of rhetoric in the national media and among national leaders I’m compelled to comment upon the expulsion of two state representatives from the Tennessee legislature. As a citizen of the state I welcome the Federal government or any governing body moving to look at the actions of this State’s leadership through oversight. I do have a caveat; if it is without political or social biases.
This story starts with a violent protest against the free, legal, and constitutional ownership of firearms. That protest stopped the state legislators from being able to carry out the people’s business in the State House. As of this writing the pictures and videos of the assaults have been purged from a quick image search on the web. The protestors were loudly led and welcomed into the State’s assembly area by three legislators who later faced expulsion. Using raised fists and bullhorns they stopped all debate on a bill to provide for greater protection in schools through support of more police presence in those schools.
These untoward actions and the subsequent media outrage truly had little to do with the emotions of the people of Nashville who had just experienced horrific murders of children and teachers in private Christian school. Those protests were entirely for the benefit of those who wish greater control over your, and my, life. The expulsion of the District Representatives was entirely due to the inappropriate, unwarranted, and unruly actions of themselves on that day.
Spirited emotional debate, in light of facts, is the way of change in a representative republic. The manners, social courtesy, and rules of the House are all in place to allow for such debate during consideration of issues effecting those whom the legislators represent. I did not, nor did my representative in Nashville, see the violence, assaults, and disruption of my business in my house as furthering the debate. The House has rules of conduct meant to give an equal voice to the districts through their Representative. The three who were considered for expulsion, by leading the momentary violent takeover of the chambers, clearly violated their agreements to act in a civil and appropriate manner. The expulsions due to inappropriate behavior were entirely in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee.
As is required by law those districts which now have vacant seats in the State House must fill them. As should be, the two young men, duly elected representatives, were sent home to explain themselves and their actions to the leadership of their respective district. It is up to the people of those districts to determine how the now vacant seats should be filled. Having been sent to the “office” to discuss inappropriate, and often emotional, behavior during my younger years I wholely agree with the process. Go talk to the boss or a Sergeant to see if I’m going to get fired, admonished, or prosecuted then either go home or back to work. It is a process that works for the good of a civil people and also for those most directly involved who operate under the set of previously agreed upon rules, laws and values.
The story comes to a close with much continued blathering from personalities in the media and Washington DC whose job it is to whip uninformed people into a frenzy for their own aggrandizement. Yesterday I heard that after meeting with their respective district leadership the two expelled Representatives will be sent back to their seats to serve out their terms. I hope they were duly admonished by cooler heads and wish them well on their journey to becoming civic leaders.
Once upon a time the entire process we’ve witnessed as of late was the norm in representative government. Expulsions and recalls occurred in all levels of our respective republics. Elected representatives of the people were held to account and responsible for their actions.
Having watched and listened to all these processes I find hope for our civil system in the actions taken by and for the citizens of this State. Setting aside the opinions of those who have agendas which benefit only themselves I welcome an unbiased investigation by any official body into the “legality” or legitimacy of the process of accountability and responsibility exercised all too infrequently by we the people.
Here a couple of links with additional analysis:
18,000 cows killed in Texas explosion. Next: The massive, messy task of disposing of them by Rick Jervis
The fire that killed 18,000 dairy cows in a West Texas farm has been extinguished and the staggering death count revealed.
Now, comes the messy, unprecedented task of disposing of them.
Typically, dead farm animals – even scores of them, such as those killed in the wake of hurricanes or blizzards – can be buried, hauled to landfills or even composted, said Saqib Mukhtar, an associate dean at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension and a cattle disposal expert.
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But the sheer number of carcasses in this incident makes the task monumental, he said.
"I really don’t know, if [the cows] were all intact, how in the world you can manage this even within a month," said Mukhtar, who previously worked at Texas A&M University and helped dispose of thousands of cattle drowned by Hurricane Ike in 2008.
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