In the wake of Governor Bill Lee’s extension of his stay-at-home order to the end of the month, long-time and respected grassroots leader Ben Cunningham wrote a hard-hitting letter to the governor asking for an immediate plan to quickly restore economic and personal freedom.
Cunningham is the founder of the Nashville Tea Party and Tennessee Tax Revolt, which resulted from then Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist attempting to implement a state income tax. The hallmark of the successful revolt against the income tax was the thousands of Tennesseans who drove around the state capitol honking their horns and putting traffic at a standstill.
A similar approach was being used Wednesday in Lansing, Michigan in “Operation Gridlock,” as citizens of that state protest their governor’s stay at home order.
Reactions in Tennessee started Monday when Lee issued Executive Order No. 27 which extended temporary social distancing and stay-at-home provisions included in Executive Order Nos. 17, 21, 22 and 23 to April 30.
The initial orders began on March 22, with the prohibition of social gatherings of 10 or more, closing gyms, restricting visitation at nursing homes and similar facilities and directing restaurants, bars and the like to offer take-out or delivery options only and had an expiration date of April 6.
On March 30, additional orders were expanded to include close-contact personal services as well as entertainment and recreational gathering venues and extended the expiration dates to April 14.
Also on March 30, Executive Order No. 22 required that all persons in Tennessee stay at home unless engaging in essential activity or essential services through April 14, which was a period of 15 days.
Lee’s issuance Monday of Executive Order No. 27, making previous orders effective through April 30, extends the period by an additional 16 days.
Cunningham reminded Lee of the Declaration of Rights contained in Article I, Section 1 of the Tennessee Constitution, “All the power and authority you exercise is granted to you by the people of Tennessee.”
In light of the current situation, Cunningham observes, “Your working assumption seems to be that Tennessee citizens must have their lives micro-managed because we are unable to judge risk and make reasonable decisions.”
“People are sick and tired of this condescension,” Cunningham says, as one who has a finger on the pulse of liberty-minded individuals in the state and across the country.
“It is time for you to act like you are the public servant of a proud and capable people who are worthy of your respect and trust.”
“I am asking you to IMMEDIATELY lay out a plan to quickly restore economic and personal FREEDOM and trust the people of Tennessee to be capable of living as a free people.”
Cunningham told The Tennessee Star, “We have never been more separated from our state government than we are now.”
As a long-time activist himself, Cunningham urges fellow Tennesseans, “Our elected officials have forgotten where their authority comes from and it is our job as citizens to remind them they are accountable to us, not to the bureaucrats and technocrats so worshiped by the press.”
“We must hold them accountable and we must do what is necessary to preserve our freedoms.”
“The governor and all other elected officials must immediately stop treating us as subjects. We are free people and we must demand to be treated as such.”
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Laura Baigert is a senior reporter at The Tennessee Star.
Background Photo “Bill Lee Press Conference” by The Tennessean.
File a complaint under USC Title 18, Section 241 & 242 – as easy as a mouse click or telephone call. Name the Governor and your County Mayor as Co-Conspirators
USC Title 18, Section 241 Conspiracy Against Rights – https://www.justice.gov/crt/conspiracy-against-rights
USC Title 18, Section 242 Deprivation Of Rights Under Color Of Law – https://www.justice.gov/crt/deprivation-rights-under-color-law
Here’s where to file a complaint: https://www.justice.gov/crt/how-file-complaint
I’ll bet Ben Cunningham won’t be leaving HIS house, however..
What; Lee a Democrat? Ha: don’t make me laugh, Karen!
Time for 10’s of thousands of Tennesseans to meet at the Capitol and remind this Dictator who he works for and the oath he took to support and defend our Consitution. 9 states refused to tramp on the rights of their citizens all run by REAL Republican Governors. It is obvious and has been obvious that Lee is a Democrat that ran as a Republican to enhance his chances of getting elected. Thankfully my vote went to an Independent candidate.
Despite my many differences with Governor Lee, I will have to agree with him on extending the stay-at-home order. Apparently, the Tea Party puts profits ahead of people. The stay-at-home orders worldwide, while they risk a depression, have nonetheless had a salutory effect of slowing (and in some cases, reversing,) the virus, and have also allowed the planet to partially recover from some of the effects of global warming. A drop in Los Angeles’s smog, the return of dolphins to the Adriatic Sea near Venice with the drop in gasoline-guzzling boats are among some of the beneficiary effects of the lockdown.
Yes, I would love to see a restoration of small business activity just as much as the next person, but only if it does not compromise public safety.
I put individual freedom above Profits and confiscatory government rule.
Spot on, William.