Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
April 27, 2023
In the wake of the Nashville, Tennessee Christian school shooting tragedy, when given the opportunity to do the right thing, count on Joe Biden to do just the opposite. With emotions and tensions strained, instead of quelling them, Biden fanned the flames by inviting the “Tennessee Three” to the White House on Monday April 24 instead of any members of the families of the six slaughtered Christians. Lost in the slaughter at Covenant School: Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs, each age nine, as well as school employees Mike Hill, Katherine Koonce, and Cynthia Peak.
On Monday March 28, in a premeditated act, a former student of Covenant School armed with multiple firearms entered the school, slaughtered six people - three nine year old babies and three school employees, before police killed the murderer. Arriving in under 10 minutes, Nashville police prevented an even greater loss of life. https://sanfordspeaksout.blogspot.com/2023/03/trans-slaughter-of-christians-sends.html
Two days later, on March 30 a raucous protest took place at the Capitol Building in Nashville calling for greater gun control and reform. Three members of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson - all Democrats - not only participated in the protest in the Capitol, but their protest spilled over into the House chamber where Jones and Pearson took to bullhorns, bellowing, among other rants, “power to the people.” Their actions, “knowingly and intentionally bring[ing] disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives,” as well as not having been recognized to address the chamber is what led to the resolutions to expel the members.
HR-63 ousted Pearson by a vote of 69-26 in a House that has 99 members and 66 votes required for expulsion. HR-64 spared Johnson an expulsion by a one vote margin, 65-30, and HR-65 ousted Jones by a 72-25 vote. These votes were cast on April 6, and the oustings created the need to fill the two vacancies, which, in both cases, returned Jones and Pearson to their seats - temporarily. They must both stand for a special election to fill the seats through the end of the term. This is the fourth time since the War Between the States that Tennessee House members have suffered expulsion.
Jones, 27, a freshman representative, represents District 52 which includes parts of Nashville and Davidson County. The Oakland, CA native attended Fisk University in Nashville is an activist who supports CRT - Critical Race Theory. He won the 2022 Democratic primary by a 53.2 to 46.8 margin and skated to victory in the general election facing no opposition. In 2019 Jones led sit-ins and protests to remove a statue of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest. Governor Bill Lee (R) supported the removal, which after a lengthy process finally occurred in 2021 - long overdue as Forest was the first Grand Wizard of the KKK from 1867-69.
Pearson, 28, also a freshman representative, represents District 86 which includes parts of Memphis and Shelby County. The Memphis Native attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Pearson won a Democratic primary held following the posthumous reelection of Barbara Cooper. With 52 percent of the vote, Pearson won the special election defeating nine other Democrats. No other party’s representatives filed for candidacy. Pearson co-founded a grassroots organization called Memphis Community Against the Pipeline and succeeded in stopping a crude oil pipeline that would have been laid throughout backyards in South Memphis.
Both Jones and Pearson could have productive futures within the Tennessee body politic. Clearly they are spirited young men eager to represent their constituencies, but they need to remain in the legislature to do so. That means they must learn and adhere to the rules of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Getting expelled will get them nowhere. Loose cannons rarely last long.
Johnson, 60, is in her fourth non-consecutive term, representing District 90 which includes parts of Knoxville and Knox County. The Denver native attended the University of Tennessee and is a retired school teacher. In 2022 Johnson won an unopposed Democratic primary followed by a general election win over her Republican opponent 57.9 percent to 42.1 percent. Johnson attributed her not being expelled from the House because she is white and her colleagues, Jones and Pearson are black
But this isn’t so much about these three Tennessee legislators - they are anti-gun props for this administration. This is more about the continuing tone deafness of the Biden-Harris administration as they once again lack decency and humanity.
The meeting at the White House focused on “the need to have more gun violence prevention,” said Pearson.
“If you stand up for kids, you’re standing up [for] our communities and democratic values,” said Biden.
No one stood up more for children than the three adults who were murdered at Covenant School. Or the policemen who, in doing their jobs, protected a couple hundred children on that fateful day.
Yet, instead of inviting any family members of the Nashville slain six to the White House, or the heroic police officers, Biden invited three malcontent legislators who behaved like reprobates and were appropriately brought to task. Jones and Pearson were expelled for cause. Biden has yet to visit any of the families in Nashville either.
Making matters worse, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke of the school slaughter in such benign words as to suggest the shooter, a transgender individual, was more the victim than the perpetrator. Jean-Pierre went so far as to offer a warning to the trans community of Nashville and suggested they arm themselves. So, the administration seeking to discard the Second Amendment, now encourages a select segment of the population to take up arms. She also did not refer to the school as a Christian school.
Adding insult to injury, Kamala Harris did, in fact, go to Nashville. On April 7 at Fisk Memorial Chapel, Harris spoke vociferously about gun control, not about the slaughter of six people at a Christian school. She also met privately with Johnson, Jones, and Pearson. At no time during her brief visit to Nashville did Harris speak with anyone connected with the Covenant School or any of the families of the six victims.
Had the murders of three children and three adults taken place at a charter or public school in the South Bronx or East St. Louis, Biden and Harris would both have been there - attending funerals and posing for photos with the family members of the murdered children. As he has done all throughout his term in office, Biden plays favorites, demonstrates bias against people of faith, sides against small business owners, shows favor for illegal aliens - witness the end of Title 42, takes the immoral stance more often than not - abortion rights, destroying Title IX in favor of biological males, siding against parental rights and notification, and supporting his administration spying on its citizens. Nashville is but a microcosm of where this country is and, sadly, where it continues to be headed - a downward trajectory toward continued lawlessness and G-dlessness. We the people can turn this ship of state around before it runs aground like the S.S. Minnow.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
