Get state out of the marriage business altogether, proposes State Rep. Rick Womick

 In the past I have often disagreed with some of the positions taken by Representative Rick Womick. Now however, I think Womick has come up with an idea that has merit and that is that the State should simply stop issuing marriage license. There is nothing that I am aware of that requires the state to issue marriage license.  The Supreme Court has said the State can not refuse to issue a marriage license to two people of the same sex.  However, what would happen it the State did not issue any marriage license?

People could still go to the local court house and have their marriage recorded, just as they can have a prenuptual agreement, a will, or a mortgage lien recorded. By recording something, the State bears no responsibility for its accuracy.  If Donald Duck and Micky Mouse want to have a marriage license recorded, the recording authority is simply recording the data, not validating it. It three people want to record a "marriage" that does not in and of itself make it legal or condoned by the State. If people want to get married and not bother recording the marriage, that would be fine too; they would still be married. I like what Womick is saying.  Unless I hear a persuasive agreement as to why this is not a good idea, I am for it.

I am not one who believes in the discredited theory of nullification. However, not cooperating with the Federal government is not the same as defying the Federal government. The U. S. Constitution does not even mention marriage.  Surely there is no way the Federal government could force a state to issue marriage license if the state decided to get out of the business of  doing so.

Womick wants return of common-law marriage

Rick Womick

Nashville Post,  December 28, 2015 by Geert De Lombaerde -   Citing the current "legal climate" — i.e., the Haslam administration's refusal to challenge the Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling — Rep. Rick Womick wants the state to stop issuing marriage licenses altogether and go back to being a common-law state on marriage.

Womick seeks end of marriage licenses 

Daily New Journal, by Scott Broden- ...  "The state Constitution says that marriage is between one man and one woman, and my personal belief is that God says that marriage is between one man and one woman," said Womick, a Republican who resides in Rutherford County's Rockvale community southwest of Murfreesboro. .... Womick said during a Tuesday phone interview that Tennessee should revert back to being a common-law state on marriage and stop issuing licenses for couples to wed."That would take the state out of the marriage business altogether,".... "If the Supreme Court will not allow us as a sovereign state to issue marriage licenses as we have decided, then we won’t issue them at all," Womick said. "If (the deciding five members of the Supreme Court) want to play this game, we are not going to abide by what they said.

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Tea party seeks to get Rick Womick elected speaker.

Normally, the election of speaker is a pretty tame affair and the public does not get involved, but not this year. An article from the Times Free Press reports that various organizations have jumped into the fray. Here is an excerpt from the article:

With Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, challenging Republican Speaker Beth Harwell in Wednesday's GOP Caucus election, various tea party groups, anti-Common Core activists and the Tennessee Firearms Association have been bombarding Republican representatives with emails and phone calls in support of Womick.

Just last week, the Tennessee Republican Assembly and the heads of the Chattanooga and Nashville tea parties entered the fray, praising Womick as a "true patriot" and "true conservative" and arguing that his elevation to speaker "would further the true intention of Tennessee voters as expressed in the recent elections."

I am hoping the House reappoints Beth Harwell as speaker.  Under the current Republican leadership of Haslam, Harwell and Ramsey, Tennessee has cut taxes, has the nations absolutely lowest per capita debt of any state, has a pension liability that is over 90% funded, has had a remarkable improvement in education and the Republican majority has grown in the House. I don't know what more anyone could want. 

The Tennessee Firearms Association is irrational and is obsessed with the right of gun owners and think gun rights go way beyond the protections affirmed in second amendment and want the right to carry a gun onto the property of others even if they do not want guns on their property.  The Tennessee Republican Assembly thinks they are the only real Republicans and will never be satisfied.

If any state Representatives are reading this I urge you to reelect Beth Harwell as speaker.  We do not need as speaker someone who believes that requirements that restaurant parking lots be paved and that getting a permit before the installation of large flag poles is part of some bizarre United Nations plot.   I do not believe the intent of the voters in the recent election was for the State to go off on wild tangents, but to continue the rational, reasonable, responsible, commonsense conservative path we are on.

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Strange goings on in the Womick quest for the Speaker's job

There is not much in the way of details, but a website and a couple Facebook post say constituents of Rick Womick got a hard-hitting mail piece recently criticizing  Womick for his run against Beth Harwell for speaker, saying he was putting his political ambitions ahead of his constituents. Volunteer Politics says the piece says it was funded by Stand for Children Tennessee. The only Stand for Children Tennessee, I could find is at this link. Given this organizations mission, it would seem strange if they funded such a mailer.  I have placed a call to that organization's executive director for confirmation and will update if I learn more. What is going on?

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The Gun Nuts are supporting Rick Womick

In case you missed it:

Tenn. Firearms Association backs Womick in speakers race

by Dave Boucher, The Tennessean, Dec. 1, 2014- The Tennessee Firearms Association is endorsing a Tea Party-aligned candidate's bid to oust Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville.

In a statement, association Executive Director John Harris said the "core legislative principals" of Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, show he is a better choice for speaker than Harwell. Harris says: (link)

 I don't use the term "gun nuts" loosely.  I support the Second Amendment.  I do not consider the NRA "gun nuts" but the Tennessee Firearms Association, I do.  They are the group that successfully defeated House Republican leader Debra Maggart in her bid for reelection although she was a strong supporter of the second amendment. The TFA believes that gun rights go way beyond the right affirmed in the Second Amendment.  They believe  you should have the right to carry a gun onto the property of one who does not want guns on his property. They believe gun rights trump property rights. They also support a law that would require the local police to arrest federal agents who enforce federal gun laws in Tennessee.

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Womick says Haslam is behind attacks on Harwell to make people think Womick is behind the attacks on Harwell.

In case you missed it:

 Womick says GOP behind attacks on Harwell

The Tennessean, Dec. 2, 2014-The Tea Party candidate for Tennessee House speaker says establishment Republicans, including key advisers to Gov. Bill Haslam, created robocalls and emails attacking House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, in an attempt to undermine his candidacy for speaker.

Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, said neither he nor his supporters created robocalls that are going out to members of the General Assembly. The calls attack Harwell personally, Womick said. He said he’s spoken with other GOP members who received the calls, but Womick said he’s never heard the call. House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, D-Ripley, said his office is receiving “a lot” of the calls.

Womick is quoted in the Nashville Scene accusing Haslam Chief of Staff Mark Cate and Haslam political adviser Tom Ingram of orchestrating the robocalls.

Wow, that would be pretty Machiavellian. So, Womick is saying the robo calls attacking Harwell are being put out by Haslam's people, who support Harwell, so people will think they are being put out by Womick or his people, to make Womick look bad. Maybe, Womick really put out the robo calls so people would think they were put out by the Haslam's  people in an attempt to make people think they were put out by Womick or his people to make Womick look bad, which if people thought that then people would think bad of Haslam's people which would help Womick. Or, maybe they really were put out by Haslam's people to make people think Womick put them out to make people think .........

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Rick Womick says Beth Harwell has "compromised our trust," and has been "insincere" and "unethical."

In his campaign for Speaker of the House, Representative Rick Womick has come out very critical of  current speaker Beth Harwell. In a letter to fellow members of the House of Representatives he says she has shown "a lack of accountability to the members of the Caucus," that she has "compromised our trust," and has been "insincere" and "unethical." Below is the letter. The underlining is mine.

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Rep. Rick Womick disavows and condemns attacks on Speaker Beth Harwell

RICK WOMICK STATE REPRESENTATIVE 34TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICK PRESS STATEMENT - There are several emails that have been showing up in legislative and personal email boxes that are attacking Speaker Harwell, her staff, and other legislators on a personal level, ultimately targeting the character and personalities of all involved. While I appreciate the efforts of undisclosed supporters across the state, I am not responsible, do not condone, and do not support these, or any future emails, that degrade, attack, or misrepresent the character of any individual associated with the Tennessee House of Representatives.

My bid for speaker is based on a fundamental disagreement in leadership style and a lack of accountability to the members of the Republican caucus. My challenge to Speaker Harwell is not of a personal nature and I will not allow it to degrade into a campaign centered around character assassination.

As I stated in an earlier press release, serving as Speaker of the House is a very serious matter and an extremely important position in our state's government. Such a position of leadership should not be treated as an inconsequential popularity contest for class president.  Instead it should be fully vetted before anyone is allowed to assume the office.

Over the next two weeks, I will be addressing the serious issues and misgivings that confront the current House leadership, as well as, revealing the truth, the facts, and the evidence as it pertains to their tenure. In return, I will offer the option of new leadership, with new direction, fresh ideas, accountability to its members, and a House that truly belongs to the legislators and the people they represent.

I will continue to be professional and respectful as I begin to detail the serious grievances and improprieties that confront the Republican caucus during this election for speaker-select. I have encouraged my fellow legislators not to be persuaded by disparaging attacks or hurtful innuendos that are beyond our control. It is my desire that we stay focused, get beyond personality differences, and address the most important aspect of our election, which is the constitutional governance entrusted to us by the people of Tennessee. (end of press release)

To read more about this issue, follow this link: Email urging Speaker Harwell's ouster casts her as puppet.

Here is an except from the story: 

The latest email featured House Clerk Joe McCord as a puppet master, pulling the strings of Finance Committee Chairman Charles Sargent and Speaker Pro Tempore Curtis Johnson from one hand and House Speaker Beth Harwell and former Republican Caucus Leader-turned education lobbyist Debra Maggart on the other.
“It is time to cut ties,” the image says in bold, capital letters. “Vote Rick Womick for speaker. No one will pull his strings.”

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Rick Womick to challenge Beth Harwell for House speaker

Beth Harwell has been a voice for common sense conservative governance and has led the House to a greater and greater Republican majority. Managing the House must be like herding cats but she has done a good job of advancing an agenda, passing important legislation and keeping the Republican majority from splintering into warring factions.  Along with Governor Haslam and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, Beth Harwell has advanced polices that cut taxes and cut the size of government while bringing about meaningful education reform and efficiencies in government.

Representative Rick Womick has announced he will be challenging Beth Harwell for the Speaker's position.  Rick Womick is, to put it politely, not a team player. He is somewhat of a loose cannon and sometimes an embarrassment. In what could be a legitimate political disagreement with Governor Haslam, he called the Governor a "traitor" to the Republican Party.

In Murfreesboro there was a case where the use of a commercial parcel of property changed from one use to different use.  The new use required the parking area be paved. This is a very common occurrence in cites all across America. Rick Womick came to the defense of the owner of the property and said this was example of government overreach as part to the UN conspiracy to impose Agenda 21 on the American people. Also in Murfreesboro, Womick characterized the city requirement that flag poles be inspected to insure proper footings and wind-load design as part of the Agenda 21 conspiracy. He also has said city annexation is a way that cities plot to take away property rights via the notorious U.N. “Agenda 21.”

A few years ago, there was almost a hysteria about Agenda 21 among some in the Tea Party movement. Agenda 21 never amounted to much. It was never a treaty but a UN sponsored study that looked at development issues and conservation and sustainability. The concern about Agenda 21 originated with the John Birch Society and people like Alex Jones and Glen Beck but it spread to the Republican mainstream. The ultimate theory was that it was a plan to kill 97% of the world's population, to be accomplished by poisoning them with aspartame and fluoride.  Not everyone who jumped on the Anti-Agenda 21 bandwagon even knew of the ultimate theory but everything from shady sidewalks, to traffic roundabouts, to traffic calming, to reintroducing wolves into the wild, bike lanes, bike share programs, conservation easements, and art in public places was denounced as part of Agenda 21. Rick Womick sponsored the non-binding memorializing resolution denouncing Agenda 21. Unfortunately it passed the House by an overwhelming majority and while not vetoing it, Governor Haslam refused to sign it.

Womick has also been active in the anti-Muslim movement. I recognize the legitimate threat of radical Islam but due to the threat from radical Islam there has spread a general suspicion of all Muslims. Also, there is this believe of some on the fringe of the right that we are in danger of having Sharia law imposed on us. Womick has made no secret of his anti-Muslim views. He has warned of the threat of having Sharia law imposed on us and he has taken the position that no Muslims should be allowed to serve in the U. S. military.

I don't think it would happen but I surely hope that the State House would not replace someone of the caliber of Beth Harwell for the bombastic, conspiracy theorist, irrational Rick Womick.

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From The Tennessean: Harwell-Womick speaker race to test Republican loyalties

Harwell-Womick speaker race to test Republican loyalties

 

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Rural Tennesseans can't stop cities

The Tennessean, May 13, 2011
Smart growth is important, but so are property rights

It’s a battle that you don’t hear much about, even though it couldn’t be closer to home.
It inspires a lot of anger and frustration, though it’s unclear how deep the resentment goes.
And lately, it’s gotten tangled up with the politics of conspiracy theorists, though in the most unlikely of places.

It’s municipal annexation, a practice that is growing more frequent and raising the hackles of rural Tennesseans. The process, whereby a city can widen its boundaries, pulling homes, businesses and privately owned land into its pool of taxpayers, has fewer restrictions on it than all but a handful of states. (Rural Tennesseans can't stop cities | The Tennessean | tennessean.com)

This is a good article about the issue of annexation.  I think annexation should be more difficult to accomplish in Tennessee. I tend to think annexation should be subject to a referendum of those to be annexed.  I am not aware that cities provide services to people in the county adjoining their city limits. Sewers may extend beyond the limits of the city, but sewers are usually financed by revenue bonds paid for by sewer fees. Often if people outside of a city limit want to use the city library, they are charged a fee for a library card. While county residence may use city streets and parks without paying a fee, often the city benefits from the sales tax that county residence spend within the city limits. Sometimes a city may contract with a county government to provide certain services, but the city is compensated. If a city is providing services to people outside their boundary and not being compensated, it is their own fault and not the fault of those receiving the service. That seems to be a weak argument and I would welcome a better explanation of that point. I am not persuaded it is correct.

The article says, "Furthermore, the notion expressed by a few individuals, including state Rep. Rick Womick of Rockvale in Rutherford County, that annexation is a way that cities plot to take away property rights via the notorious U.N. “Agenda 21” is simply absurd."  I could not agree more. I am adding annexation to my list of things attributed to Agenda 21, despite annexation being around much longer than agenda 21. One can think that we need stronger protection of private property rights and that annexation should be more difficult, without claiming annexation is part of the Agenda 21 grand conspiracy. 

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Bragg takes Womick to task over Agenda 21 smear

I commented back in mid March how Republican legislator Representative Womick had offered as proof of the dangers of Agenda 21, the case of  Papa’s Butts and BBQ Hot Sauce Store. This business had started out as an office of a fence construction company and the owners hobby of making hot sauce had turned the business into a different kind of business.  From selling some hot sauce in the office of the fence company and then to smoking some shoulders, the location evolved into a restaurant. When the owner went to get a permit for a restaurant, he was told that due to the changing use of the property that now he would have to have a paved parking lot and a certain minimum number of parking spaces. Representative  Womick said that type of regulation was an example of Agenda 21 policies.

It was upon reading this, that my skepticism of the danger of Agenda 21 took a big leap. Requiring a minimum number of parking spaces and paved parking lots for certain kinds of businesses has been standard procedures used across the nation for many, many years and predates Agenda 21. Subsequent to that story, I learned that the Board of Zoning appeal of Murfressboro granted the owner a variance. I don't know the nature of the variance or for how long, but that is the type of things BZA's do.

Now, there is more to the story. The mayor of Murfressboro has written two letters to Womick criticizing him for “misstatements” he made in the General Assembly in order to garner support for a resolution against United Nations Agenda 21. In the first letter he criticizes "misstatement" about about city codes enforcement and in the second letter he criticizes him for “misstatements” in a House Judiciary subcommittee meeting March 14 about Murfreesboro’s flag regulations.

Here is an excerpt from the local news paper that explains more. This excerpt starts quoting the Mayor:

  “At the meeting, you began describing the event when you presented a Tennessee flag to the president of the Murfreesboro Medical Clinic (Joey Peay). You commented that after I presented it to him publicly, (he) comes to me and says, ‘Well, Rep. Womick, thank you very much for the Tennessee flag. I appreciate it, but you’re going to have to talk to the City of Murfreesboro because they won’t let me fly the Tennessee flag on my property. We’re not allowed to fly any flags. No U.S., no Tennessee, nothing.’”

“Your comments at the committee meeting did not accurately state the city’s regulations,” Bragg wrote to Womick. “They created the impression that the city banned the display of the flag and damaged our reputation statewide as a patriotic community.”

The story goes on to say that  the city requires a flagpole permit, at no charge, to verify proper footings and wind-load design. Read more of this story at this link: Bragg calls out Rep. Womick for remarks on House floor.

I don't know what to say. This smearing of good people and misrepresenting of facts to make a point is reminiscent of McCarthyism, not that communist influence and infiltration of government was not a real problem at the time, but in the process of exposing and rooting out communist, hysteria was let loose and many good people were black listed and wrongly accused and communism was seen where it did not exist.

Requiring a permit to erect a flag pole may be government overreach. If a flagpole falls on someone and kills them or damages property, the judicial system and insurance claims may be sufficient to deal with it. If government was not involved in permitting flag pole construction, the private sector may be sufficient to cause people to be prudent and government may not be needed. If that is the argument, then make that argument. Don't make the Agenda 21 argument about something as simple as a requirement that one get a permit to erect a flag pole. Shame on you Representative Womick.  

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Agenda 21 Alert: no parking on the front yard and Black bears

Is this part of Agenda 21?
La Vergne to outlaw parking on front-yard grass

and this?
Black bears spread across Tennessee 

No one has told me this is part of the Agenda 21 conspiracy, but look at it: La Vergne is in the process of taking away the right to park cars in your front yard and the state is allowing the expansion of wild bears into areas occupied by people.  Is this favoring nature over people?  Is it an attack on the American way of life?  Is it an attempt to get people to give up their cars?

After reading about the case in Murfressboro which was exposed as part of Agenda 21, I think I am getting pretty good at spotting Agenda 21 policies. In Murfressboro, a guy changes the use of a piece of commercial property from a fencing company to a restaurant and when he does so he is told by city officials that he will have to pave the parking lot and have more parking spaces.  This was offered by Rep. Rick Womick as an example of how our property rights are being taken away as part to the Agenda 21 UN conspiracy.

I figure if that is part of Agenda 21, then the two examples I spotted today must be part of Agenda 21.  If there are any of the 72 state representative who voted for House Joint Resolution 587, which denounced Agenda 21, or any John Birch Society members or other experts on Agenda 21 who could tell me it the two items I have listed are part of the Agenda 21 conspiracy, I would appreciate it.

I have started reading Agenda 21, but  have only read the first two chapters of the 40 chapter study and have not gotten to the scary parts yet.  I will continue reading, but it is really, really boring.

Agenda 21 is being exposed everywhere and these are some of the things that others have alleged are part of the Agenda 21 policies: outcome based education, sustainable agriculture, community assets inventory,  traffic roundabouts, greenways, bikeways, mass transit, conservation easements, General Land use Plans, regional planning commissions,  neighborhood alliance organizations, smart growth, smart meters, community oriented policing, opposition to suburban sprawl, opposition to road expansions, requirements that parking lots be paved, and  requirements that commercial enterprises have a minimum number of parking spaces. 

Before I add "banning parking in front yards" and "Black bear population expansions" to the above list, I would like for some expert to tell me that I really am correct and these things are also part to the Agenda 21 conspiracy.

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