State Sen Bill Ketron of the sharia law bill in TN gets an earful after lying to me...

[cynatnite]

I emailed Bill Ketron in TN about this horrible bill. He lied through his teeth about it.

He said...

Thanks for your e-mail concerning SB1028. First, I would ask you before you react to this piece of legislation that you actually go to the state’s website and read the bill and not react to misinformation printed in the local media. The media seems to have their own agenda compared to my piece of legislation.

The purpose of my bill is to criminalize the process of material support for Shariah organizations. This bill has been specifically drafted and vetted for our state. It is closely modeled after the federal anti-terrorism and material support statutes. The federal statutes have been upheld as constitutional facially and as applied by the U.S. Supreme Court and the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

The legislative intent is to only regulate threats from Shariah-based jihad and not the peaceful practice of any religion. It allows the State Attorney General to identify Shariah organizations by concluding that such organization has received by means of any property tangible or intangible or service including currency, monetary instruments, financial securities, commercial equipment as well as weapons of lethal substance, explosives, as well as transportation that would enable such organization to declare jihad against the citizens of this state.

I believe that anyone in this country has the right to worship however they so choose. This bill has nothing to do with religion/worship but focuses on terrorism like Carlos Bledsoe, aka Abdulhahim Mohammed, who was from Memphis and charged with a capital murder in the 2009 shooting death of a soldier in Arkansas. Homeland Security, just last year, identified and broke up 22 homegrown terrorist plots. This bill is to protect our citizens from those who have declared jihad and not to prevent them from worshipping in our state.

I was pretty pissed after these stupid lies and sent him the following response...

If we already have federal law that this is modeled after, then what is the purpose of this? The federal government is already doing what this law is designed to do.

Yes, we will disagree on this because I am an American who supports freedom of religion. You can try to spin this in a way that makes you look good, but it won't work. You are painting our state as being narrow-minded and against all religion but the one that you and others like you deem as being the only "right" one.

This law does nothing but pander to reactionaries and bigots who are being told to be afraid of Islam.

All religions have their extremists. Christianity has its fair share, but no one would dare consider a law going after those extremist elements or the organizations that support them.

This is only aimed at Islam and if you can't see how divisive and hurtful this is, then I know you DO NOT stand for our constitution or what is right for America.

Haven't gotten a response and I don't expect one.

[cynatnite]

1. kicking. n/t

[CurtEastPoint]

2. Puffy, tired, old, scared white trash.

And since I'm southern, I can say that.

[Alameda]

3. People are being conditioned to fear what they think is "Sharia"

You can not take Sharia out of Islam, it is part of it. The issue is how it is determined. In Christianity there is Canon law, in Judaism, Halakha. IOW....people seem to think there is one inflexible Sharia law, there is not. It is very interpretive and flexible each situation has to be considered on it's own. Of course, there are those who are pretty rigid, like the Wahabbis.

[Fly by night]

4. Bill Ketron is just the kind of slimy, un-American, racist flying monkey that TN is cursed with ...

... now that we cannot cast the votes as cast.

In addition to being against freedom of religion, good ole "too much hairspray by half" Ketron is also against remedying our unverifiable election situation by preventing the TN Voter Confidence Act from ever being implemented.

I do not wonder why.

Tennessee used to be known for intelligent, moderate politicians of both parties. Now the Republican legislators here are mostly overt racists, pug-ugly jackals and Hooters girls (really).

"It's not who votes that counts. It's who counts the votes."

Joseph Stalin once said something of the sort.

Tennessee Republicans know what he meant.