Hello, ladies and gentlemen:
Protests at the Tennessee General Assembly are nothing new, but two particular instances got readers’ attention this past week:
- Rep. Justin Jones , D-Nashville, declining to lead fellow lawmakers in the Pledge of Allegiance on Feb. 1
- Members of the public heckling Gov. Bill Lee during his State of the State speech on Monday
“The reason why I did not join my colleagues in the pledge is that I cannot say the words ‘liberty and justice for all’ with colleagues who have done everything in their power to roll back liberty and justice for women, for minorities, for LGBTQ+ people,” Jones told reporters.
Some Republican lawmakers called on him to resign while his defenders said he had every right to exercise his constitutional rights.
Here are samples of letters I received from readers:
“Justin Jones must not believe in justice for all if he won’t lead in the Pledge of Allegiance. Sadly, Democrats are proud of him,” wrote Jim Kennedy of Smyrna.
L. Barrett of Portland holds a different view: “Mr. Jones, please continue to be a sharp thorn in the seats of those with small minds and hidden agendas because protest is not unpatriotic.”