Commentary

COMMENTARY: Concerns About Current Rise and Return of Neo-Confederacy in Tennessee State Government

THE TENNESSEE TRIBUNE — The Rebel-like-bearded chief staff member for the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives appears to be charged and documented by news media with conspiracy to electronically falsify documents with the intent to falsely arrest and imprison a young civil rights worker (in 21st century USA!).

Published

5 years ago

May 21, 2019

Oakland Post

By Dr. Bobby Lovett

To State Leaders and Whom It May Concern:

As a citizen, taxpayer, and professional historian I am deeply concerned by the return and the rise of neo-Confederacy in the Tennessee state government (i.e., Executive and Legislative branches).

The Rebel-like-bearded chief staff member for the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives appears to be charged and documented by news media with conspiracy to electronically falsify documents with the intent to falsely arrest and imprison a young civil rights worker (in 21st century USA!). The young man and his colleagues were exercising their rights under the US and Tennessee constitutions. Yet, the Speaker and his chief of staff were televised as arrogantly refusing to entertain those citizens’ grievances and both men strutted away with displays of ignorance, distain and disregard for the constitutional rights and judicial recourse of all citizens. In the name of Conservatism, in disguise of Abraham Lincoln’s old Republican Party, and in arrogant and illiterate displays of racial hatred and deceit for the United States and the Republic of Tennessee, the bearded one is quoted even as calling an entire group of Tennessee citizens “idiots”—without fear of civil and criminal punishments. Lest they forget Tennessee (1796- ) yet remains the 16th state in the Union of these United States of America:

Federal Constitution, Amendments, “Bill of Rights (Dec. 15, 1791):

Article I gives US citizens “the freedom of speech” and “the rights of the people peaceably to assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Article XIV, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of his life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any persons within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Article XV, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Tennessee State Constitution:

Article I, Section 23: “People may assemble and instruct—That the citizens have a right, in a peaceable manner, to assemble together for their common good, to instruct their representatives, and to apply to those invested with the powers of government for redress of grievances, or other proper purposes, by address or remonstrance.”

Article I, Sec. 10. “Not to be twice put in jeopardy.—That no persons shall, for the same offense, be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.”

Article I, Sec. 8. “No man to be disturbed but by law.—That no man shall be taken or imprisoned, or disseized of his freehold, liberties or privileges, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any manner destroyed or deprived of his life, liberty or property, but by the judgment of his peers or the law of the land.”

Article X, Sec. 2, members of the General Assembly “will not propose or assent to any bill, vote or resolution, which shall appear . . . injurious to the people, or consent to any act or thing, whatever, that shall have a tendency to lessen or abridge their rights and privileges, as declared by the constitution of this state.”

Notwithstanding, 21st century neo-Confederate state leaders including Tennessee’s governor seem determined to conspire to resurrect “the Old South.” They have passed and signed acts “injurious to the People”: vouchers, scholarships, restrictive citizens police committee bills aimed a specific racial groups and counties; and impediments to the right-to- register citizens to vote, threats of imprisonment for Tennessee activists, and specific monetary punishment to a specific city and its duly democratically elected officials for removing the KKK leader Nathan B. Forrest’s statue from public property. State officials shamelessly targeted Shelby County and Davidson County with specific legislation wherein such counties have large African American and minority race populations.

The Governor, Speaker of the House and staff members should consider resigning their public jobs and face the federal and state justice systems.

And the Tennessee Supreme Court and its associate courts (despite the purposeful judicial restraints the neo-Confederates placed in the 1870 Tennessee constitution) ought to invoke courageous interposition or intercession to protect Tennessee government; its society; its democratic traditions.

Whereas German psychology professor Karl Jasper wrote about post-WWII German society in his book The Question of German Guilt (1947, 2009)— all of us should be reminded that those of us who remain silent are “metaphysically guilty” of past and present evil acts and the historical consequences.

This article originally appeared in The Tennessee Tribune.

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Opinion: Surviving the Earthquake, an Eclipse and “Emil Amok.”

Last Friday, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook New York City, reported as the “biggest earthquake with an epicenter in the NYC area since 1884” when a 5.2 quake hit. A bit bigger. The last quake similar to Friday’s was a 4.9 in 1783.Alexander Hamilton felt it — 241 years ago. That’s why New Yorkers were freaking out on Friday. They were in the room where it happens.

Published

22 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

In New York City, the eclipse was about 90 percent visible. Good enough for me. Though a full solar eclipse is a celestial rarity, blockages of any sort aren’t generally celebrated. My one-man play is about growing up with the eclipsed history of American Filipinos and how I struggle to unblock all that.

By Emil Guillermo

I’m a Northern Californian in New York City for the next few weeks, doing my one-man show, “Emil Amok, Lost NPR Host, Wiley Filipino, Vegan Transdad.”

I must like performing in the wake of Mother Nature.

Alexander Hamilton felt it — 241 years ago.

That’s why New Yorkers were freaking out on Friday. They were in the room where it happens.

And it just doesn’t happen that often.

Beyonce singing country music happens more frequently.

When I felt New York shake last week, it reminded me of a time in a San Francisco TV newsroom when editors fretted about a lack of news an hour before showtime.

Then the office carpeting moved for a good ten seconds, and the news gods gave us our lead story.

On Friday when it happened in NYC, I noticed the lines in the carpeting in my room wiggling. But I thought it was from a raucous hotel worker vacuuming nearby.

I didn’t even think earthquake. In New York?

I just went about my business as if nothing had happened. After living near fault lines all my life, I was taking things for granted.

Considering the age of structures in New York, I should have been even more concerned about falling objects inside (shelves, stuff on walls) and outside buildings (signs, scaffolding), fire hazards from possible gas leaks, and then I should have looked for others on my floor and in the hotel lobby to confirm or aid or tell stories.

Of course, as a Californian who has lived through and covered quakes in the 4 to 6 magnitude range, I tried to calm down any traumatized New Yorker I encountered by taking full responsibility for bringing in the quake from the Bay Area.

I reassured them things would be all right, and then let them know that 4.8s are nothing.

And then I invited them to my consoling post-Earthquake performance of “Emil Amok, Lost NPR Host…”

It was the night of the eclipse.

ECLIPSING THE ECLIPSE

For example, did you know the first Filipinos actually arrived to what is now California in 1587? That’s 33 years before the Pilgrims arrived in America on the other coast, but few know the Filipino history which has been totally eclipsed.

I was in Battery Park sitting on a bench and there was a sense of community as people all came to look up. A young woman sitting next to me had a filter for a cell phone camera. We began talking and she let me use it. That filter enabled me to take a picture of the main event with my iPhone.

For helping me see, I invited her and her boyfriend to come see my show.

Coincidentally, she was from Plymouth, Massachusetts, near the rock that says the year the Pilgrims landed in 1620.

In my show she learned the truth. The Pilgrims were second.

History unblocked. But it took a solar eclipse.

Next one in 2044? We have a lot more unblocking to do.

If you’re in New York come see my show, Sat. April 13th, 5:20 pm Eastern; Fri. April 19, 8:10 pm Eastern; and Sun. April 21st 5:20 pm Eastern.

You can also livestream the show. Get tickets at www.amok.com/tickets

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1. He wishes all his readers a Happy Easter!

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Commentary

Commentary: Republican Votes Are Threatening American Democracy

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We needed to know the blunt truth. The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening. That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

By Emil Guillermo

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

We needed to know the blunt truth.

The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

And to save it will require all hands on deck.

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening.

That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

No man is above the law? To the majority of his supporters, it seems Trump is.

It’s an anti-democracy loyalty that has spread like a political virus.

No matter what he does, Trump’s their guy. Trump received 51% of caucus-goers votes to beat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who garnered 21.2%, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who got 19.1%.

The Asian flash in the pan Vivek Ramaswamy finished way behind and dropped out. Perhaps to get in the VP line. Don’t count on it.

According to CNN’s entrance polls, when caucus-goers were asked if they were a part of the “MAGA movement,” nearly half — 46% — said yes. More revealing: “Do you think Biden legitimately won in 2020?”

Only 29% said “yes.”

That means an overwhelming 66% said “no,” thus showing the deep roots in Iowa of the “Big Lie,” the belief in a falsehood that Trump was a victim of election theft.

Even more revealing and posing a direct threat to our democracy was the question of whether Trump was fit for the presidency, even if convicted of a crime.

Sixty-five percent said “yes.”

Who says that about anyone of color indicted on 91 criminal felony counts?

Would a BIPOC executive found liable for business fraud in civil court be given a pass?

How about a BIPOC person found liable for sexual assault?

Iowans have debased the phrase, “no man is above the law.” It’s a mindset that would vote in an American dictatorship.

Compare Iowa with voters in Asia last weekend. Taiwan rejected threats from authoritarian Beijing and elected pro-democracy Taiwanese vice president Lai Ching-te as its new president.

Meanwhile, in our country, which supposedly knows a thing or two about democracy, the Iowa caucuses show how Americans feel about authoritarianism.

Some Americans actually like it even more than the Constitution allows.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1.