chemtrails – Memphis Flyer

From chemtrails to immigration, several new state laws took effect at the beginning of the month. Let’s have a look at a few examples of how state lawmakers changed the rules here this year.

Death for child rapists — Adults over the age of 18 now face the death penalty if they rape a child under the age of 12. The legislation was sponsored by two powerful lawmakers: House Majority Leader Rep. William Lamberth (R-Cottontown) and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin).

However, in 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court said a similar idea from Louisiana was “not proportional punishment for the crime of child rape.” Johnson said he sponsored the legislation “in an effort to challenge the 2008 Supreme Court ruling.”

The Bible — The Bible — specifically the Aitken Bible — is a new state book. That version was the first published in the U.S.

State lawmakers have long flirted with the notion to make the Bible a state book but the bills to do it never passed. Conservatives bypassed much of the controversy to get it done this year by adding the Bible to a list of 10 other new, state books. That list included Alex Haley’s “Roots,” and Robert Penn Warren’s “All the President’s Men.”

Immigration — All law enforcement agencies and officials must now report “the immigration status of any individual” to the federal government. This includes the “knowledge that a particular alien is not lawfully present in the United States.”

“Chemtrails” — “It is documented that the federal government or other entities acting on the federal government’s behalf or at the federal government’s request may conduct geoengineering experiments by intentionally dispersing chemicals into the atmosphere, and those activities may occur within the State of Tennessee,” reads Senate Bill 2691.

It says geoengineering is is not “well understood.” So as of last week in Tennessee, “the intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight is prohibited.”

“Abortion trafficking” — A new law makes it illegal for an adult to recruit, harbor, or transport a pregnant “unemancipated minor” to conceal an abortion from their parents, helping them get an abortion no matter where it is performed, or getting an abortion-inducing drug for them. Those caught now face a Class A misdemeanor and “must be punished by imprisonment for 11 months and 29 days.”

The ELVIS Act — Gov. Bill Lee described the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act (ELVIS Act) as “a bill updating Tennessee’s Protection of Personal Rights Act to include protections for songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals’ voice[s] from the misuse of artificial intelligence.”

“From Beale Street to Broadway, to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state,” said Lee. “As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, I thank the General Assembly for its partnership in creating legal protection for our best-in-class artists and songwriters.”

Parent protections — The “Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act” says no government agency or official can substantially burden “the fundamental rights of a parent as provided under this bill,” unless the government can prove it needs to step in.

These rights include “the upbringing of the child,” the “moral or religious training of the child,” all healthcare decisions, school choice (public, private, religious, or home school), excused absences from school attendance for religious purposes, consent before the collection of “any individual biometric data” like analysis of facial expressions, brain wave patterns, heart-rate, pulse, blood volume, blood, DNA, and more.

Legislation designed to stop the potential release of climate-controlling chemicals into the atmosphere is scheduled to be considered in the House this week, a bill the Senate’s sponsor also relates to “chemtrails,” a conspiracy theory related to the lines of vapor coming from jet planes.

One environmental lobbyist called the measure “nonsense,” even though it passed the Senate last week 25-6.

Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston) is taking the matter seriously and is slated to put House Bill 2063 before the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee Wednesday. He is not expected to try to amend the measure.

Fritts said Monday the bill deals only with “geoengineering” purportedly to be done by the federal government and noted he is not concerned about a connection with “chemtrail” conspiracy theories.

If you look at a thousand planes, you won’t see one (chemtrail). But then all of a sudden you see one. So we’re just asking the question: Are they putting anything in the air that could be toxic?
– Sen. Steve Southerland, R-Morristown

The bill points out that the federal government and other entities acting at the government’s request are preparing to conduct experiments by dispersing chemicals into the atmosphere. It further notes the impact on human health and the environment from this type of “broad scale geoengineering” isn’t fully understood.

“Chemtrail” conspiracy theories have surfaced for decades. But this bill could be a reaction to a measure signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022 instructing the Office of Science and Technology Policy to work with NASA on research of climate intervention.

An article in MIT Technology Review reports the crux of the federal plan is to release tiny particles into the atmosphere that, theoretically, could reflect enough sunlight to slow down the Earth’s warming. In other instances, groups could try to determine whether the release of particles might stop cirrus clouds from trapping heat against the Earth, according to a news report.

The bill, which would avert that in Tennessee, says “intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight is prohibited.”

Sen. Steve Southerland (R-Morristown), who initiated the legislation, didn’t mention “chemtrails” when he passed the bill on the Senate floor last week.

But when he spoke to the Tennessee Lookout previously, he made that part of his argument, pointing out that a space shuttle doesn’t leave a “chemtrail.” Likewise, he said, emissions at Watts Bar nuclear and Kingston fossil plants appear to be “pure steam,” in contrast to the “chemtrails” from some jets.

“If you look at a thousand planes, you won’t see one (chemtrail). But then all of a sudden you see one,” Sutherland said. “So we’re just asking the question: Are they putting anything in the air that could be toxic?”

Scott Banbury, a lobbyist with the Sierra Club, described the bill as more of a “laughing” matter than anything and said efforts in the legislature to undo wetlands protections are more important.

“It’s not happening,” Banbury said, adding he was uncertain how the bill got so much traction in committees. “It’s not gonna happen anytime soon. It’s nonsense.”

Numerous websites debunk the theories surrounding “chemtrails.”

David Keith’s Research Group with Harvard University describes “chemtrails” as a conspiracy theory that governments and other groups are running a secret program to add “visible plumes” containing toxic chemicals to the atmosphere, similar to contrails or vapor trails released by aircraft engine exhaust that are made up mainly of water in the form of ice crystals.

The group notes, “We have not seen any credible evidence that chemtrails exist,” but if researchers did find proof the government is endangering people it would be “eager to expose and stop any such activities.”

Banbury pointed out fear of “chemtrails” has been discussed for years, but he was uncertain how the federal government could conspire with enough people to send out toxic chemicals from jets without someone “blowing the whistle.”

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and Twitter.