Tennessee Stands

I am going to say that for perhaps the first time in Tennessee Stands history, I am optimistic that we might have a conservative win here in Tennessee. HB 1 / SB 1 has been filed for the 2023 legislative session as the bill that would end the practice of child mutilation here in Tennessee when it comes to "gender-affirming" treatment for minors. There might be more to the story and things will certainly continue to develop as this bill is sure to get amended once it begins to make its way through the legislature. However, at a first cursory glance, this bill is really strong and makes a very firm stand on protecting minors from both healthcare providers and even parents that would work to medically transition children to the opposite biological sex. Not addressed in the video: There may be some sort of strategic reason for this that I am unaware of, but the only thing I find concerning is that while this bill creates a private cause of action, action by the Attorney General and possible disciplinary action by regulatory authorities, it DOES NOT CREATE A CRIMINAL PENALTY. But at the end of the day, the goal is deterrence. And the civil penalties in this bill are stiff. We need to ensure that this bill does not get amended to death and stays strong. Email Sen. Jack Johnson (sen.jack.johnson@capitol.tn.gov) Rep. William Lamberth (rep.william.lamberth@capitol.tn.gov) Gov. Bill Lee (bill.lee@tn.gov) Thank them for stepping up to the plate to get this done with strong legislation and encourage them to stay the course. This bill will face major opposition from the left and those who wish to further the trans agenda in Tennessee. We cannot back down to the medical lobby or the LGBT agenda.

There was certainly no red tsunami (or even a wave) for that matter and nothing to write home about regarding the midterm elections. Low voter turnout. More machine issues across the country. Razor-thin margins in key contested races. Barely took the House. And GenZ voters coming out in force voting heavily Democrat. The key to securing liberty for our future and our children will be by holding the line right here in our state. I'm not looking to 2024 to see who our next President will be. I am looking to 2024 to see how we can capitalize on opportunities to get more conservatives in state and local leadership. 42% of Tennesseans that voted in 2020, stayed home in 2022. That is just unacceptable.

Davidson County's election administrator reveals that election machines have been issuing the wrong ballots to voters. Meaning, voters have been illegally casting votes in the wrong districts. But, he says that due to the functionality of the voting machines, they cannot tell "who" cast the wrong ballots. So, now that the issue has been resolved, they are going to continue business as usual. But here's the catch, the votes that were cast illegally are still going to be counted! Folks, what are we doing here? How can we not ensure that we are issuing legitimate ballots for elections in 2022? I mean, we've been doing this for a few years now. No? It's time for the machines to go. We need hand-marked, secure paper ballots now! Watch the video and call the numbers on the screen to take action.

Many are asking the question during this election cycle, "should I vote during early voting, or wait until Election Day?" And that is a very reasonable question to ask in light of all of the uncertainty we are encountering. The deeper question voters are asking is, "does my vote really count," "is the vote that I cast, the vote being counted?" In this video, we are going to take a look at how early voting was "administered" in Williamson County in the most recent Primary Election and the impact this may have had on a particular race. The numbers and the conclusions drawn are convincing. But make note, the example shown is not unique and in fact, is quite common across the state of Tennessee. Shockingly common. So, let's go down the election rabbit hole just a bit. And make sure to share this video.

We want to make sure that you understand that current Tennessee law restricts the state and all state agencies (including public schools) from mandating (or requiring) the shot no matter what the CDC or any other 3-digit agency says. That's a fact. However, there are other implications like the TN Department of Health funding the shots (with your tax dollars) for babies of low-income families. This is why we are asking for an executive order from the Governor's office to ensure this is not, and does not happen. Further, you need to understand that the only reason that the state is not forcing the shot today....is because of you! Please make sure to watch the video through to the end to find out more.

Breaking news hit yesterday on Sept 20th about Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, TN, and their mission to mutilate our children by providing gender transition surgery to minors. The story broke by Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire and it just so happened that the Governor's office had a prepared response almost immediately, to the "breaking news." But what I am going to show you in this video is that the news is not "breaking" at all. The Governor and the legislature apparently knew this was happening in Tennessee. And for two years now, Sen. Janice Bowling and Rep. John Ragan have worked to address it with legislation that would have put a complete stop to this practice. Instead, GOP leadership killed that bill and worked to push another bill that became law in 2021 that ONLY stopped hospitals from providing hormone treatments to 8 to 10-year-olds. But the bill left the door open for everything else. So, why now? The issue could have been resolved in 2021. The legislature had the bill drafted. Why all of a sudden do we have breaking news and a call for an investigation....in the midst of an upcoming election.

As a supplement to my video regarding the "breaking news" from Matt Walsh regarding the transgender surgeries for minors happening at Vanderbilt, I will continue to contend that this was no surprise to the TN General Assembly. This is the testimony of Dr. Cassandra Brady, director of the pediatric department at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital responsible for "gender-affirming" care. This testimony is from March 31, 2021, almost 1 1/2 years prior to the "breaking news" on Vanderbilt's gender-affirming pediatric program. She is before the Senate Health Committee to oppose SB0126 sponsored by Senator Ferrell Haile. Please note that this is the bill that GOP leadership pushed, and eventually passed, instead of the bill from Senator Janice Bowling and Rep. John Ragan that would have put an end to all medical gender-affirming treatment for minors in the state of Tennessee. Please take special care to listen in at the 9:45 minute mark. Dr. Brady answers a question and makes mention of the "non-reversible" gender-affirming sugical treatment for patients. Notice the humor and discomfort as she discusses the surgical option. The big takeaway here is that in a Senate hearing in 2021 under sworn testimony, a doctor from Vanderbilt is acknowledging surgical options for pediatric patients for gender-affirming care. Senator Joey Hensley sits on this committee and heard this testimony. Fortunately, he was one of the co-sponsors of Sen. Bowling's bill, SB2696 that would have put an end to all of this. The fact is, legislators knew this was going on and some legislators were working to stop this in Tennessee. But GOP leadership shut down their efforts and killed the bills in committee. Why?

Ladies and gentlemen, your tax dollars hard at work. This is a meeting of the TN Registry of Election Finance and a 35-minute discussion on Gary Humble's campaign for state senate. If you are interested enough to watch this charade, you will notice how hard they work to conjure up a way to proceed with an audit for the campaign and even toyed with the idea as to whether or not they even had the jurisdiction to try and audit Tennessee Stands, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. The effort was pushed by attorney and board member, Tom Lawless. Upon making the accusation that illegal coordination occurred, he erroneously refers to Tennessee Stands as a PAC, which we are not. Additionally, he could not even recall or find any record he had of what the name of the mysterious PAC even was. Yet he called for an audit. At least (1) member of the board cautioned that perhaps this move to audit was extreme, especially since they had no sworn complaint, no evidence, and really no reasonable suspicion that would warrant an audit of Gary's campaign. Yet, they persisted.

Mysteriously, the TN Registry of Election Finance has made a decision to audit Gary Humble's campaign for state senate. The stated purpose, of course, is to ensure that there was no illegal coordination with Tennessee Stands. Interestingly, the TN Registry of Election Finance is not interested in whether or not Jack Johnson's campaign illegally coordinated with the (3) PACs that ran attacks against Gary Humble, or possible coordination with the Speaker of the Senate, Randy McNally, and his use of his personal PAC to run attacks against Gary. No, nothing to see there. This, ladies and gentlemen, is your Tennessee Republican Party now using the power of the state to punish and intimidate their political opponents.

Can't get enough of the fact that Governor Bill Lee and the GOP leadership are throwing themselves parades on national television touting freedom and how well they managed through the response to COVID-19. When, in fact, they supported executive orders calling you non-essential and shut down your businesses. The CDC now says that your right to make your own medical decisions is important. Of course, that is a completely different message from 2 years ago. And now that it is safe to espouse that view, GOP leaders are eager to jump on the bandwagon and preach freedom. But this was never about freedom. It was always about control. And it still is. Enter...East Tennessee State University and their latest request to mandate vaccines during any future epidemics of any and all communicable diseases. They are now asking the legislature for blanket authority to issue mandates for any future possible disease outbreaks. Here is the rule request... https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/rules_filings/07-01-22.pdf

Stories from the campaign trail. Ever received a political mailer in your mailbox and wondered where did it come from? Who would say such things? How could such outlandish accusations be true? Well, you are right to ask those questions. Senator Jack Johnson is illegally coordinating with PACs to run attack ads against his challenger in Williamson County. And worse, the PAC is funded by lobbyists and Democrat donors. Grab your popcorn for a good FOLLOW THE MONEY exercise.

Members of the Tennessee Army National Guard are at risk and serving now without pay due to mandates issued by the Biden Administration stating compliance by June 30th. Some leaders in Tennessee are calling for a special session to address the issue. But what power does our legislature actually have to address this issue? Per our Tennessee State Constitution, our Governor is the Commander-in-Chief of the Guard (Militia), not the General Assembly. A federal judge in Texas in a lawsuit from Gov. Abbott to protect the Texas Guard has so far refused to intervene basing his ruling that the shot is "safe and effective" and "fully FDA approved." But is it? At the end of the day, it's all about federal funding. Watch the video.

The Tennessee Guard is under orders for soldiers to take the jab by today, June 30th, or be dismissed. Should that move forward, we could lose 10% of our Guardsman. That is not only a travesty for the soldiers themselves but for our state and our common defense. A rally was held at the Capitol yesterday (June 29th) to direct Governor Bill Lee to step up and defend the Guard. In this video, you'll see his incredibly weak response. Will the Governor step up and defend the rights of these men and women? We will have to wait and see. We MUST continue to work to secure the rights of individuals to make their own medical decisions here in Tennessee.

The Stoll family needs your help. As Baby August awaits a heart transplant still being refused by Vanderbilt Health because of his vaccination status, they need your help. The costs are going to continue to mount, so please consider giving to the family for their medical needs at www.givesendgo.com/fightforaugust But not only does the Stoll family need our support, we have to fix this in Tennessee. How is it that after 2 years our Governor and our legislators still buy into the lie that individuals are undeserving of having their rights protected to make their own medical decisions? And while NOT ONE member of Tennessee's GOP leadership has ever advocated for these healthcare rights, people like Senator Jack Johnson now want to grandstand on the issue during an election year pretending that he has championed this cause. I am sick of political games. It is time to fix this. In the meantime, Vanderbilt Health needs to do the right thing and save this baby's life.

The pro-life movement is rejoicing today as Roe v Wade has now been overturned by the US Supreme Court. As this decision came down, I just so happened to be in a meeting with David Fowler of the Family Action Council of Tennessee who has worked for over 20 years to remove any right to an abortion per our Tennessee Constitution and state law. Watch this video and find out what this US Supreme Court decision means for Tennessee.

Welcome to the world of political campaigning. Seems that even for Republicans, it is a nasty business. All across Tennessee, voters are going to receive calls and text messages for polling purposes to find out if they support certain candidates for office, and also to find out what issues are important to them. Makes sense. And most of us are used to seeing poll numbers. But what you may have never heard of is the term, "push polling." Push polling is when a candidate uses negative statements about an opponent in order to "push" the voter in a certain direction. And it happens all the time. Here, I am going to show you examples from a push poll that is running right now from the Jack Johnson campaign about Gary Humble. And as you will see, the half-truths and outright lies are astonishing. This is the kind of thing you expect to see on the left. But I'm not so sure that conservatives expect that campaigns are run this way. Facts are facts. But twisted and deceptive statements are something else entirely. So, 'tis the season for push polling. Pay attention and make sure you do your homework. There are important races happening in our state in August and November. Live not by lies.

In the wake of recent shootings, the gun debate rages on. And, of course, the cry of the left is always gun control. It is never really striking at the heart of the matter. There are several issues that continue to lead to mass death and primarily I believe the leading cause is culture. But we can talk about video games, fatherlessness, Hollywood, government instigation (like Eric Holder's Fast and Furious operation), and the list goes on. But one of the dumbest policies on the books is gun-free zones. In my opinion, teachers and school administrators should be allowed to conceal carry. Put guns on the premise, and the problem is immediately solved. And yes, contrary to the "more guns" mantra of the Left, the answer to gun violence is in fact more guns, meaning, guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens. We have to fix this. Subscribe now to The Freedom Matters Podcast at https://www.tennesseestands.org/podcast

We know that we have a problem in public education. Some of those problems are very old, some are new, and some are just the same old agendas repackaged for a new generation. You have probably heard of Critical Race Theory. But have you heard of Social Emotional Learning (SEL)? SEL is really at the root of how public education has positioned itself to reframe the worldview of your children without you even realizing that you have just abdicated a large portion of your ability to parent your child, to the government. Taking care of your child's emotional needs sounds nice and harmless. But what it really means is shaping the way they think about sex, death, race, God, and just about everything else. May I suggest that this is not the proper role of government. In this episode of The Freedom Matters Podcast, we talk with Trisha Lucente of Parents’ Choice TN about SEL and what her organization is doing to address this issue in our schools. Don't miss a beat. Make sure to visit https://tennesseestands.org/podcast and subscribe today. New episodes every Wednesday.

There is more to the story behind the formula shortage. Why has society been fashioned in such a way that feeding our children has become so dependent on nationalized supply chains of powdered foods? The breakdown of the nuclear family is a threat to national security. This is just a clip. Please visit https://www.tennesseestands.org/podcast and subscribe today! New episodes every Wednesday.

I have no idea who this young pastor is. I know nothing about his church or the rest of his theology. Certainly, I can't vouch for his character, or the integrity of his ministry and with whom he serves. But this I can say. His understanding of life in the womb is spot on. And I've never heard it said any better or more succinctly. America, we have to get this right. It is time.

The truth has a way of getting around. The federal government can create a Disinformation Governance Board and the state of Tennessee can work to chill the speech of nonprofit organizations. But what they will find is an inability to shut the ears of those willing to hear the truth, and then willing to act on it. Make sure to check out The Freedom Matters Podcast on Apple and Spotify. New episodes are out every Wednesday. Subscribe today!

One of the things you'll hear said is that we don't have to worry about corruption too much in Tennessee because we have really good people running things. After all, our Governor is a Christian and a 7th generation Tennessean. What could go wrong? A lot, clearly. When it comes to our elections, there are vulnerabilities that few want to address. But we must. Sure, for the most part, maybe we do have really good people looking after the process. But people are fallible and corruptable. We can't simply depend on the character of people when it comes to securing our elections. We must depend on process and on law. It is time to get honest about these machines and take a hard look at all the potential for fraud that exists in our state.

It's truly a relief that this session is over and that the 112th General Assembly is done. Many of our most conservative legislators have taken a beating this year and will attest that this General Assembly was one of the worst, if not the worst they have ever had to navigate through. So many bills that would have secured the rights of individuals, especially in terms of medical freedom died in committee this year (in large part to the incredibly corrupt House Health Subcommittee chaired by Bob Ramsey). We also got to witness one of those committee members resign due to a federal indictment on fraud. Here is a quick recap from today, the last day of business. Let's pray that we are successful in some of these contested 2022 elections and that we are able to push more meaningful legislation in the upcoming 113th General Assembly (2023-2024).

The GOP establishment will not stop in its efforts to silence grassroots conservative organizations by unconstitutionally infringing on the free speech rights of 501(c)(4) nonprofits. Thankful to the @Steve Deace Show for giving voice to this issue. Please make sure to subscribe to Steve's show and check out his podcast at https://www.theblaze.com/podcasts/steve-deace-show. Subscribing to Blaze TV is always a good idea!

Just a couple of days ago, Sen. Jack Johnson was on the radio proclaiming to be fighting on behalf of taxpayers and newly crowned as the patron saint of ridding the state of corporate welfare. But the very next day in committee (the part of your elected representative's actions that you rarely get to see unless you follow Tennessee Stands), Jack not only led the Senate in putting the stadium into the budget but VOTED FOR THE STADIUM! Conservatives across the state have been on the phones with their state representatives speaking against this madness. Taxpayers should not be financially on the hook for a new $2 BILLION+ stadium in Nashville. Let the Titans build their own stadium. That's called free-market capitalism. But, they did it anyway as usual. Jack applauded the Governor for a budget 25% higher than last year's budget along with making sure that Tennesseans are excited about their 1-month break from the food sales tax.