Arlington hosts Republican Patriot Breakfast

The Shelby Sun Times
July 24, 2007

Attendees kicked off the July 4 gathering in Arlington Town Hall with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by an address from guest speaker, state Sen. Mark Norris.

About 70 people attending the Northeast Shelby Republican Patriot Breakfast in Arlington Town Hall on July 4 were treated to generous helpings of pancakes and party politics.

Guest speaker was state Sen. Mark Norris, who represents a portion of east Shelby County, including the Lakeland and Arlington area, as well as Dyer, Tipton and Lauderdale counties.

In his introduction of Norris, Northeast Shelby Republican President Tracy DeWitt of Arlington pointed out that Norris is the first Republican in state history to represent Dyer County, long a Democratic bastion, in the Tennessee General Assembly. Norris was first elected in 2000 and re-elected to District 32 in 2004."The last time we had a Republican majority leader from West Tennessee. . . well, as far as I can discover, I'm it," he said, also noting that the last time Tennessee had a Republican as lieutenant governor was 1869.

Proclaiming that it's a great time to be a Republican in Tennessee, Norris pointed with pride to the passage this session of the Crooks with Guns bill he sponsored.

"This bill doesn't coddle criminals," he said, adding that similar legislation has worked well in Florida and New York.

He also said legislation was passed this session that protects Tennesseans' second amendment right to bear arms.

"There was a statute on the books that allowed the governor to confiscate weapons in cases of emergency," he said. "That's what happened after (Hurricane) Katrina, and chaos ensued."

Norris said he also supports finishing the job in Iraq, noting the American Revolution went on another seven years after the Declaration of Independence was signed.

"I wonder if today's Democrats would have stayed the course if they had been at the helm instead of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington," he said. "The Bill of Rights was not adopted until 1791. It takes time for democracy to work."

Several elected officials attended the Arlington breakfast, including Shelby County Commissioner Joyce Avery and District 99 state Rep. Ron Lollar.

Attendees chatted informally with leaders and perused tables of Republican merchandise on offer, which included bumper stickers that read, "Let's draft Fred Thompson for President."

The next major gathering of Shelby County Republicans is set for Saturday, July 21 when former state representative Bubba Pleasant will host a fish fry at his home. For more information about events or the Northeast Shelby Republicans, which includes Arlington, Lakeland and Bartlett, contact DeWitt at bartlettgop.org.