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TN Lawmaker: Gay Kids Commit Suicide Because Their Parents Don’t Instill Good Values
Editor’s Note: Please read “Tennessee Anti-Gay Lawmakers Keep Voting To Protect Lawbreakers Not Kids,” which includes a revealing “apology” from Rep. Faison.
A Tennessee Republican Tea Party lawmaker today blamed poor parenting and exempted bullying as the cause of gay youth and teen suicides. State Rep. Jeremy Faison stood on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives and argued against a cyberbullying bill, lamenting that kids who literally bully their fellow classmates to death could be charged as criminals instead of given detention.
“We can’t continue to legislate everything,” Rep. Faison said today, and in the video below. “We’ve had some horrible things happen in America and in our state, and there’s children that have actually committed suicide, but I will submit to you today that they did not commit suicide because of somebody bullying them. They committed suicide because they were not instilled the proper principles of where their self-esteem came from at home.”
Rep. Faison reads to children. Statistically, at least one of them will be bullied. Faison thinks that’s their parent’s fault. What do you think?
Note that the Tennessee Legislature apparently does think you can “continue to legislate everything.” Yesterday they passed a law making miscarriage murder, last week a Tennessee House committee passed their infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill, two weeks ago the Tennessee Legislature passed a bill that protects teachers who teach creationism, and those who welcome “debate” on culture war issues like global warming, and also two weeks ago the Tennessee Senate passed a bill that would classify holding hands as “gateway sexual activity.” Yes, Tennessee wants to protect children from holding hands Tennessee wants to protect eggs from miscarriages, protect teachers who wield Bibles as schoolbooks, but the Tennessee Legislature refuses to protect LGBTQ kids — or those just perceived as LGBTQ — from bullies.
Chas Sisk at The Tennessean adds:
The Tennessee Democratic Party condemned Faison’s statement within minutes.
“Did Rep. Faison just say that kids commit suicide because they haven’t been instilled with the right values? What a disgrace,” the party wrote on its Twitter feed.
The Tennessee Democratic party wrote on their website today:
Faison is apparently blaming the parents of suicide victims for their inability to “instill the proper principles” in their children. What a disgrace. Now, of course a tall and burly Faison doesn’t see any problems with bullying, as he admitted, he was perfectly capable of defending himself or dishing out punishment as he saw fit. But many kids don’t have that ability. That is why laws like these need to be passed.
It is unfortunate that some in the Republican Party have become the protectors of bullies Of course, it is not terribly surprising, because as a legislative group they are nothing but bullies, disparaging and demeaning those without power in this country in order to build themselves up. So it is no wonder that they would see no big deal with the problems associated with childhood bullying in this country, and become the defenders of harassment.
Faison, 35, quotes “Glen Beck” and lists the 9/12 Project on his campaign website, and writes as his biography:
I remember as a little feller hearing the men in our church talk about politics after the service. I remember hearing frustrated questions like, “When are we going to get somebody IN THERE who votes like a real person ought to vote?” or “Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone represent us that is not a career politician?”
Let me introduce myself, my name is Jeremy Faison and I am running for State Representative for Cocke and Western Greene County. I am 33 years old and the daddy of 4 children Beka, Gage, Regan, and Asher. My wife’s name is Miriam and we live in Cosby. I am a proud member of the NRA. God, family, fishing, hunting and music are a few of my favorite things. We own a pest control company in town. We work very hard to provide for ourselves and our employees. We feel a personal responsibility to this area. East Tennessee is a wonderful place and we desire to see this area grow economically. People should not have to leave this area to provide for their families. We are rich in natural resources and ripe for opportunity.
You can contact Rep. Jeremy Faison via his page on the Tennessee House government website, Project VoteSmart, or Facebook.
This article has been updated in 2021 to correct technical glitches.
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Two House Democratic Ranking Members are calling for the removal of the Dept. of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, appointed by Donald Trump in 2019, accusing him of lying to Congress, misleading Congress, blatantly abusing his powers, and wasting millions in taxpayer dollars.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, in a statement following the release of a damning independent report say “Inspector General Cuffari’s extensive and shocking record of misconduct and obstruction is evidence that he has seriously compromised the public’s trust and is plainly not fit to serve in a position that requires him to guard the public interest and act beyond reproach.”
“Cuffari’s unprecedented misconduct in office has been underscored and exacerbated by his persistent and repeated obstruction of oversight efforts. Not only did he fail to fully and meaningfully comply with our investigation—he actively worked to undermine and thwart it.” They call his actions “an outrageous affront and embarrassment to the inspector general community and have undermined the reputation of the entire DHS Office of Inspector General.”
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The Project On Government Oversight (POGO), a nonpartisan independent watchdog, on Wednesday released a report alleging Cuffari “waged a years-long campaign to derail and discredit investigations into allegations of his misconduct, which include claims he retaliated against whistleblowers.”
The independent report from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) did not cite Cuffari’s actions in deleted texts scandal, but as NCRM reported in 2022, Cuffari appeared to have waited seven months to notify Congress of the missing text messages from the day before and day of the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
That means that four months after the January 6 insurrection the Dept. of Homeland Security knew Secret Service agents’ text messages, from the day before and day of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, were missing and did not inform Congress or the National Archives, which is required by law to retain those records.
The deleted Secret Service texts were not the only missing data at DHS.
“Text messages for President Donald Trump’s acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf and acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli are missing for a key period leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol,” The Washington Post reported in July 2022.
Cuffari also reportedly “declined to pursue investigations into Secret Service during Trump administration,” The Washington Post reported in 2021, and “blocked investigations proposed by career staff … to scrutinize the agency’s handling of the George Floyd protests in Lafayette Square and the spread of the coronavirus in its ranks.”
“Hundreds of Secret Service officers were either infected with the coronavirus or had to quarantine after potential exposure … as Trump continued to travel and hold campaign events during the pandemic.”
The White House says the report is “concerning, but Politico reports Republicans are circling the wagons around Cuffari.
“Firing Cuffari could spark outrage from Capitol Hill Republicans, who have praised him for investigating DHS’s trouble vetting people evacuated from Afghanistan and its inability to monitor all unaccompanied migrant children released from federal custody after traveling to the United States,” Politico reports. “As CIGIE’s investigation into Cuffari has unfolded, congressional Republicans have rallied around him, suggesting he is being targeted as punishment for criticizing the administration. In an occasionally contentious July hearing, House Oversight Republicans pressed the head of CIGIE on how his office handles investigations into inspectors general and raised concerns about the Cuffari probe.”
In 2023 Cuffari testified before Congress he had deleted text messages from his government-issued cell phone which he also stated he did not use for personal reasons. He alleged the texts he deleted were not considered government records.
Watch the video below or at this link.
Ivey: Did you delete text messages from your government issued iPhone?
Cuffari: Yes pic.twitter.com/Dcp1dB0TQe— Acyn (@Acyn) June 6, 2023
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U.S. Senator JD Vance, less than 48 hours after refusing to correctly answer when asked if Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, faced the question again on Thursday — but this time instead of evading he answered it directly: “Yes,” the vice presidential nominee lied.
“Who won the 2020 election? Just answer — did Donald Trump win?” asked Jason Selvig, half of the political comedy duo “The Good Liars,” who frequently troll conservatives in videos that go viral.
“Yes,” Vance replied, strongly.
“He did win?” Selvig asked again, seemingly to confirm Vance’s response.
“Yup,” the Ohio Senator stated.
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“So will you, will you concede, if your opponent gets more votes, will you concede?” Selvig pressed.
“I really feel bad for you man,” Vance appeared to say, as he turned into what appeared to be a hotel conference room, ducking Selvig and his camera. “I just want to know, if your opponent gets more votes, will you concede?”
JD Vance refused to answer this question at the debate but he told us Donald Trump won the 2020 election. pic.twitter.com/VyGrnCVAaw
— The Good Liars (@TheGoodLiars) October 3, 2024
“Completely disqualifying,” is how political scientist David Darmofal described Vance’s lie Donald Trump won the 2020 election.
“As this moment shows,” remarked attorney David R. Lurie, “Vance’s now confirmed status as an opponent of democracy is not going to be something he can quip away during the weeks before the election.”
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Near the end of Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, Vance’s Democratic opponent, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, asked what became a historic question that was called it the “only moment from the VP debate that mattered.”
“Did he lose the 2020 election?” Walz asked Vance.
“Tim,” Vance replied, “I’m focused on the future.”
The Harris campaign quickly turned that into an ad which quickly went viral:
Last night, what JD Vance didn’t say said everything. pic.twitter.com/0vmMwr0f37
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) October 2, 2024
The full context of Walz’s and Vance’s interaction can be read here.
Watch the videos above or at this link.
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U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) is under fire for spewing “blatant anti-semitism” and doing so in the middle of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
On Fox News Thursday morning, Congressman Burchett attacked George Soros, the liberal billionaire who has donated the vast majority of his fortune to his non-profit which has a goal to “support the growth of inclusive and vibrant democracies.”
“You have a man that does not have America’s interests at heart,” Burchett said of Soros. “He wants to destroy this country.”
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“He is a money-changer of the worst kind,” charged Burchett, using an antisemitic trope before making his pitch for Donald Trump to be back in the white House.
GOP Rep. Tim Burchett on George Soros: “He is a money changer of the worst kind” pic.twitter.com/ptIuLCZXZs
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 3, 2024
Last year Congressman Burchett bragged, “I voted to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. We can’t be representing anti-Semitic viewpoints on the world stage,” and told Newsmax, “Antisemitic activity or speech has no place in the United States Congress.”
“As a Jew, this strikes me as VERY antisemitic,” declared MSNBC’s and Vanity Fair’s Molly Jong-Fast, responding to the video of Burchett. “I don’t think people who traffic in antisemitism are ‘good’ for the Jews.”
Russell Drew, a self-described “amateur historian,” explains: “In calling George Soros a ‘money changer’, Congressman Burchett knows EXACTLY what he’s doing. Using an antisemitic trope to demonize Jews as greedy manipulators of finance. Such language has long fueled violence.”
David Simon, the author, journalist and TV writer/producer known for “The Wire” wrote: “Just shout ‘dirty scheming Jew’ and get it all over with.”
MeidasTouch editor-in-chef Ron Filipkowski added, “Ah yes, those globalist Jewish ‘moneychangers’ who hate America pulling the strings behind the scenes. Welcome to 1936 in Donald Trump’s Republican Party.”
Former Obama chief strategist and White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod snarked, “A New Year message from the heart of MAGA to the Jewish community.”
Matt Duss of the Center for International Policy added, “Every evangelical voter knows exactly what this is supposed to mean. It’s not a dog whistle it’s an antisemitic bullhorn.”
Matthew Zeitlin, a correspondent at Heatmap News, asked why “money changer” was “even at the tip of your tongue?”
Watch the video above or at this link.
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Democrats Call for Trump-Appointed Scandal-Ridden Inspector General to Be Ousted
JD Vance Says ‘Yes’ Trump Won in 2020 Then Walks Away When Asked ‘Will You Concede?’
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