Revolt and Retribution

NC Speaker Thom Tillis now appears to have a full-blown revolt on his hands after this week's H267 vote-to-not-vote on toll roads.  Retribution from the Speaker's office came swiftly with the sacking of Robert Brawley from the Chair of the House Finance Committee the day after the vote.

Much has been written in the past two days about "the letter" Rep Robert Brawley wrote that was read into the record Wednesday before turning in his gavel.  No doubt, the letter was full of some really tough stuff, but readers should remember one thing.  Rep Brawley's ouster from the Chairmanship of the Finance Committee came before the letter was read - not because the letter was read.  According to reports, the Speaker's office actually requested the letter be read into the record and did not know its content before it was read.  That's important to remember because some lawmakers appear to already be indulging in a bit of revisionist history and blaming the letter itself for the majority of the controversy.

While there certainly are good reasons why that letter should not have been read on the NC House floor and Rep Robert Brawley has already apologized for any "discomfort" it caused, blaming that letter for the bulk of the ongoing controversy could not be further from the truth.

For many in the activist community this toll road debate is no longer about roads.  It is about heavy-handed government - things like sacking someone from a chairmanship for speaking his mind in an important debate.

Here are two videos courtesy of ConstitutionalWar.org, the first is of activity on the NC House floor during the H267 debate on Tuesday.  This is what transpired the day before Robert Brawley was sacked and before his letter was read on the House floor on Wednesday.  The second is from this week's MUMPO meeting also on Wednesday where citizens were not allowed to speak on the I-77 HOT Lanes project after signing up to do so.

As in many revolts throughout history, retribution for speaking one's mind is what fans the flames of the insurrection instead of putting them out.