Bill Lee – You Weren’t Elected to Be the State’s Lead Pastor

And citizens aren’t your congregants.

Heart, values and faith are all important ingredients that every decision-maker across all walks of life hopefully bring to the table. But you Governor, have an added duty. You Governor, took an oath to uphold and govern according to the U.S. and Tennessee Constitutions. This oath still counts for something no matter how many times you tell us that you aren’t a politician.

And just to be clear, there was absolutely no rush to formalize your consent to put Tennessee back into the refugee resettlement program before the start of Christmas – that is unless you thought no one was watching or would forget about it once 2020 arrived.

Well, you are probably as wrong about that as you are about the decision you made.

You told radio listeners on Friday, that you made your decision for several different reasons but in the end, based it on your religious beliefs. 

You also tried to use President Trump and Ronald Reagan for cover. Your Biblical beliefs blinded you to the fact that Trump has been trying to dismantle the dysfunctional refugee resettlement program since he took office.

Clearly the President underestimated the resolve of GOP governors to support his America First immigration agenda. After all, how could the President have known that Biblical Bill would choose people living on other continents over the 5,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in Tennessee on a waiting list for help. The state says our most vulnerable citizens will have to wait for help until there’s more money.

And what about the veterans in Tennessee that also are waiting for help?

You made a mockery of the President’s “Make America Great Again” movement when you tried to use it to justify your decision to consent for opting the state back into the refugee program. What’s more, you went above and beyond the consent period required by the Executive Order. Consent was only supposed to be for June 1, 2020 through the end of the federal fiscal year which everyone knows is September 30, 2020. But you made your consent valid for a year from December 18, 2019.

And the same document that outlines all the stuff on consent says you didn’t even have to consent until late spring, like May 2020. So at the very least, you could have waited until after Christmas. Or maybe even like sometime in January which was the time you led legislators to believe was when you were going to decide.

You keep telling us that you’re new to this job, but after almost a year into it, how do you not understand simple courtesy?

Governor, you are not the only Bible reader in Tennessee. Biblical mandates are for individuals. But instead, Tennessee’s got Biblical Bill who has decided to use his authority as Governor to impose a Scriptural mandate on state taxpayers. 

And let’s talk about your Biblically-based inconsistencies when it comes to issues this past year:
-you’ve spent more time on school vouchers than the heartbeat bill. Even non-Bible scholars know that protecting life is in those pages somewhere.
-on thetransgender bathroom issue you said it was an area of life that the government should stay out of and that a state-wide policy would be divisive. Well, the Bible has something to say about that controversial issue also.
-and that marriage thing? That’s a twofer – Biblical and Tenth Amendment.

Are we to understand that as a faithful and devout Christian who says he supports the Tenth Amendment, it’s more like your position on the gas tax – that marriage thing is now “water under the bridge.”?

Rest assured though, that blind-siding us with your consent to put the state back into paying for a voluntary federal program is definitely unfinished business.

Nevertheless, Tennesseans were brought up with good manners so we want to thank you for the Christmas card!

7 thoughts on “Bill Lee – You Weren’t Elected to Be the State’s Lead Pastor”

  1. Tennessee voters elected Bill Lee in a landslide based on his Christian faith and values proven over several decades of personal experience, including working personally in many foreign Refugee camps where CHRISTIANS being MURDERED in their own country has caused them to flee to survive. Tennessee voters FAVOR participation in Refugee resettlement by 2 to 1, so by all means exercise your right to dissent and oppose this decision, but also realize you are in the MINORITY on this issue.

    Personal, disparaging attacks on Governor Lee for supporting Trump’s refugee resettlement process by leading the REFORM to better protect Tennessee while doing our humanitarian, Biblical Christian duty that Tennessee voters approve by 2 to 1…speaks volumes, but not about our Governor Lee.

    1. Lee’s political policies and your blind ignorant faith for Lee literally gets Christians murdered. You and Lee destroy Christians families, American values, culture, traditions and Christianity. In short, you and Lee are the enemies within.

  2. I think Bill Lee won his election because the timing was right for him. After Mae dropped out, many went over to Lee because he was a non politician running against establishment politicians. Trump, anther non politician, was doing good, so many of us believed that was the way to go at the time. Just as soon as Lee started making appointments and hiring advisors and staff, I knew voting for Lee was a bad choice, but I was hoping he would show I was wrong. Now, his last decision on so called refugees, has got me fuming, and I will do all I can to see that he is a one term governor, which might have been his plan all along.

  3. Governor Lee, I respect your dedication to Biblical principles, but fail to find in the Scriptures the mandate to bring people groups of beliefs foreign to the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob into our midst. The ONLY instruction I find is to care for the stranger in your “midst” community, who at the time of writing was another Israelite.
    I have been teaching Scripture for 40 years and would be most honored to serve on a Biblical based advisory board for you. This sounds arrogant but I also have a Political Science degree and served 20 years on the Obion county commission.
    Thank you for being willing to serve.
    Trena Taylor

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