I had a little breakthrough in my Understanding The Bible class a little more than a year ago when an especially avid student asked me if it was the end of the world.
*nods* This is where part of what I'm grieving is the silence of the hundred or so folks you and I both know who also know Bill Lee and who also know this is no way for a self-respecting grown man to act. I suspect this is of a piece with the Dr. Seuss disinformation campaign. I can imagine accepting the directives of GOP operatives who tell Bill this is what you have to do to stay in some race. What's more difficult for me is imagining shunning the counsel of people who've known you your whole life when they tell you not to do this. There are worse things than not being Governor. I hope the communities of righteous discernment of which he's sometimes been a part will come through for him soon and very soon. May Bill Lee know joy and the root of joy and be delivered from suffering and the root of suffering.
Sigh. And, Texas. SiiiiiiiiiGhhhhh. All lifted, 100% capacity. CV19 in the red zone and nobody cares. Many are looking for a fight if asked to mask up. Most of those looking for a fight claim Christianity. It is heartbreaking. Co-worker's college son just got CV19 for the SECOND TIME. Vaccines are great. If.....
Just one of many inconsistencies in a man who says he lives by a moral center dictated by his religious beliefs. Our pro-life governor is pushing a Permitless Carry bill thru the legislature that he is committed to sign as soon as it hits his desk, giving anyone the opportunity to carry a concealed weapon in public without a permit which the conservative republicans declare is dictated by the 2nd amendment and all-mighty God. This means that they could fall thru one of the many loopholes regarding a background check and indeed have gun without any confirmation of criminal background or mental illness, and be able to carry this weapon without any training or safety education. All law enforcement agencies in the state as well as local authorities, business owners, gun instructors, military, 90% of Tennesseans which includes republicans and gun owners. Statistically this will mean more gun violence, more gun deaths, more police in harms way. It makes no sense at all why this is somehow deemed such an emergency to pass when we have people in food lines, being thrown out of housing, and our jails filled with unjust incarcerations and a vast majority do not want it. This bill could actually pass the entire assembly this week and be signed by our pro-life governor, so please get on the phone and make your voices heard!
I am no longer an ICU nurse, but I was for a number of years when I was younger. Even I cannot imagine the stress and strain the local ICU staffs (and those across the country) have been under for the past 12 months. The ICU is an incredibly stressful environment under the best of circumstances. What really makes me mad (aside from all the other obvious reasons that Mr. Lee’s behavior can be criticized) is that people who disregard the masking and distancing and partying restrictions are just blatantly disrespecting our “frontline workers” by saying, well, “I’ll take my chances, this thing is almost gone, we need to open up our businesses.” And what he and they are actually doing is ensuring that the virus spreads farther and wider, more people become ill than need to, and the hospital beds will fill up as a result. Have we not tortured them enough?? And, if MR. Lee or any of his associates or loved ones DO become ill as a result of the careless disregard of the guidelines, they will receive the best treatment available, without any hesitation on the part of the medical staff, should they require their care. They will not be banned from receiving care or turned away b/c of their careless behavior. It just makes my head want to explode.
Thank you for this, Andrea. When I consider the fact that you and I met through/within the same church/school that I met Bill Lee, I find myself thinking that if everyone we know would entertain a little more risk when it comes to being really loving and candid with one another over essential things, we'd be in a very different situation in regard to our governments. In short, I think conflict avoidance is at the heart of a lot of our suffering. I'm grateful as every to share a timeline with you. According to my Substack statistics, a lot of folks are reading and sharing this post. *raises fist in solidarity* We live in hope!
I agree with you, David. I wish that Bill Lee was as good a Governor as the man I heard wonderful things about when he was just Bill Lee.
Terrible behavior and terrible legislature wrapped in a Christianity says little good about his faith. I am reminded of a Bob Dylan quote:
“But the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency.” from Slow Train Coming
*nods* This is where part of what I'm grieving is the silence of the hundred or so folks you and I both know who also know Bill Lee and who also know this is no way for a self-respecting grown man to act. I suspect this is of a piece with the Dr. Seuss disinformation campaign. I can imagine accepting the directives of GOP operatives who tell Bill this is what you have to do to stay in some race. What's more difficult for me is imagining shunning the counsel of people who've known you your whole life when they tell you not to do this. There are worse things than not being Governor. I hope the communities of righteous discernment of which he's sometimes been a part will come through for him soon and very soon. May Bill Lee know joy and the root of joy and be delivered from suffering and the root of suffering.
Sigh. And, Texas. SiiiiiiiiiGhhhhh. All lifted, 100% capacity. CV19 in the red zone and nobody cares. Many are looking for a fight if asked to mask up. Most of those looking for a fight claim Christianity. It is heartbreaking. Co-worker's college son just got CV19 for the SECOND TIME. Vaccines are great. If.....
Legislatures everywhere should read quotes (lyrics) from "Slow Train Coming" daily - we'd all be better off.
Just one of many inconsistencies in a man who says he lives by a moral center dictated by his religious beliefs. Our pro-life governor is pushing a Permitless Carry bill thru the legislature that he is committed to sign as soon as it hits his desk, giving anyone the opportunity to carry a concealed weapon in public without a permit which the conservative republicans declare is dictated by the 2nd amendment and all-mighty God. This means that they could fall thru one of the many loopholes regarding a background check and indeed have gun without any confirmation of criminal background or mental illness, and be able to carry this weapon without any training or safety education. All law enforcement agencies in the state as well as local authorities, business owners, gun instructors, military, 90% of Tennesseans which includes republicans and gun owners. Statistically this will mean more gun violence, more gun deaths, more police in harms way. It makes no sense at all why this is somehow deemed such an emergency to pass when we have people in food lines, being thrown out of housing, and our jails filled with unjust incarcerations and a vast majority do not want it. This bill could actually pass the entire assembly this week and be signed by our pro-life governor, so please get on the phone and make your voices heard!
I am no longer an ICU nurse, but I was for a number of years when I was younger. Even I cannot imagine the stress and strain the local ICU staffs (and those across the country) have been under for the past 12 months. The ICU is an incredibly stressful environment under the best of circumstances. What really makes me mad (aside from all the other obvious reasons that Mr. Lee’s behavior can be criticized) is that people who disregard the masking and distancing and partying restrictions are just blatantly disrespecting our “frontline workers” by saying, well, “I’ll take my chances, this thing is almost gone, we need to open up our businesses.” And what he and they are actually doing is ensuring that the virus spreads farther and wider, more people become ill than need to, and the hospital beds will fill up as a result. Have we not tortured them enough?? And, if MR. Lee or any of his associates or loved ones DO become ill as a result of the careless disregard of the guidelines, they will receive the best treatment available, without any hesitation on the part of the medical staff, should they require their care. They will not be banned from receiving care or turned away b/c of their careless behavior. It just makes my head want to explode.
Thank you for this, Andrea. When I consider the fact that you and I met through/within the same church/school that I met Bill Lee, I find myself thinking that if everyone we know would entertain a little more risk when it comes to being really loving and candid with one another over essential things, we'd be in a very different situation in regard to our governments. In short, I think conflict avoidance is at the heart of a lot of our suffering. I'm grateful as every to share a timeline with you. According to my Substack statistics, a lot of folks are reading and sharing this post. *raises fist in solidarity* We live in hope!