The Tennessee Three

Two young black legislators were expelled for demonstrating on the floor of the Tennessee Legislature.  Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were voted out of their office for their actions regarding gun legislation in Tennessee. A third legislator, Gloria Johnson, who also participated in the demonstration, escaped being expelled by one vote.  Ms. Johnson is a female and white and a former teacher.

If the killing of three staff and three students in the State of Tennessee by a gun toting shooter didn't deserve a debate over gun control by the legislature in Tennessee, I can just shudder.  According to reports the Tennessee legislature has a super majority of republicans, who when voting as a block can ignore what it doesn't like and pass laws and do things that are questionable, at best.

The two legislators that were expelled raised enough sand that there home district could reappoint them on an interim basis until a new election would be held.  Commissions in Nashville and Memphis did just that. Luckily there is no such thing as double jeopardy in this case.

And so it goes.  Little by little we seem undone by increasingly stubborn loopholes in our democratic traditions where minorities can ignore a majority of public opinion which expects better. 

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