Yesterday, renowned historian Heather Cox Richardson reported:
“Late Friday night, Tennessee House Republican Caucus chair Jeremy Faison posted ‘President Biden has finally approved [Tennessee governor Bill Lee’s] state of emergency request,’ making it sound as if the delay in federal support for the state during the devastation of Hurricane Helene was Biden’s fault. In fact, while Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina all declared emergencies and requested and received federal approval of those declarations before the hurricane hit, Governor Lee did not.” [all emphasis added]
Here’s Governor Lee’s initial response to the emergency:
Despite Tennessee House Republican Caucus chair Jeremy Faison’s mendacity, strongly implying that the delayed federal emergency order was President Biden’s conscious choice, it was Governor Lee who delayed his request. However, as soon as the governor did so – after extensive to his state had already occurred – of course, President Biden acted immediately. It seems that, apparently, even after a day of Tennessean prayer, humility, and skipping meals, God takes her time…
Christian Theocracy Rules
Needless to say, the alleged “delay” in President Biden’s state of emergency order was entirely self-inflicted, courtesy of the condition of GOP governance in Tennessee which does not receive much national coverage of just how much a christian theocracy it has become.
For example, in July, the legislature declared the month as a time to “seek God’s hand of mercy and healing.” Below are two excerpts from the Joint Resolution, both of which facially violate the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, and Section 3 of Article 1 of Tennessee’s Constitution; i.e., “no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship.” Note the salutation in the document below, “Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,” and the throughout the text that accompanied the joint resolution.
And here is the text of the joint resolution:
Humbling oneself before God is always good advice since failing to do so may cause you some retributive actions, like a biblical bit of flooding. Just ask Noah. Perhaps, gently, ask Governor Lee.