COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WTVF) — Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles has released a proclamation, asking the Tennessee General Assembly to call a special session to “address Governor Bill Lee and his continued abuses of power.”
Ogles announced the proclamation Wednesday via social media, calling on the general assembly to “defend freedom, liberty and individual rights…” Ogles said he wants the legislature to limit the powers of the governor, to “protect” Tennessee children from “forced mask wearing,” and protect Tennesseans from “forced vaccinations.”
“In the proclamation, Ogles acknowledges the seriousness of Covid-19 and gives a reminder that Covid is treatable with sophisticated treatment protocols, therapeutics and that vaccines are widely available,” Ogles wrote on Facebook.
Read Ogles’ full Facebook post below:
Today, County Mayor Andy Ogles released a Proclamation calling on the Tennessee General Assembly to convene a Special Session to address Governor Bill Lee and his continued abuses of power.
In the Proclamation Mayor Ogles calls on the General Assembly to defend freedom, liberty and individual rights by addressing the following:
1. Limit the powers of Governor of Tennessee and his abuse of Emergency Powers using unconstitutional executive orders, which infringe on the liberties of the citizens of this state.
2. Protect the children of Tennessee from forced mask wearing and respect the individual choices of parents to manage the health and wellbeing of their own children.
3. Protect ALL people of Tennessee from forced vaccination for COVID-19 whether by government or businesses both as consumers and employees.
In the proclamation, Ogles acknowledges the seriousness of Covid-19 and gives a reminder that Covid is treatable with sophisticated treatment protocols, therapeutics and that vaccines are widely available.
He criticizes Governor Lee’s indecisiveness and half measures which have subjugated parents and their children to out of control school boards and superintendents, liberal Mayors and a complicit Commissioner of Education.
“At a time when truly conservative Governors are aggressively fighting against both local AND federal assaults on our freedoms, Governor Lee is taking the twisting path to appease the Left and their allies,” said Mayor Ogles.
In addition to calling on the General Assembly, Mayor Ogles asks Tennesseans to have their voices heard and to reach out to their legislators.
In closing Ogles states, “It is time to stand, … And when the final lots are cast and we are measured against history, I pray that we will have preserved freedom for generations to come. And if we are to err, let us err on the side of freedom. The choice is ours, and I choose freedom. “
It’s important to note that so far, Gov. Lee has left decisions on school mask mandates up to the individual districts. However, he himself has criticized mandated mask wearing in schools, preferring to leave that decision up to parents – despite guidance from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics that recommends all students, teachers, and staff wear a mask, regardless of their vaccination status.
Last week, House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R – Crossville) said he would ask Lee to call a special session if schools implemented mask mandates. So far, Sexton has not publicly called for that special session.
Lee has also publicly criticized “vaccine passports,” saying that vaccination should be a personal health choice.
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an employer can legally require proof of vaccination for its employees – although some employees can request an exemption, per the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and other federal laws.
