Alabama House GOP Caucus passes resolution supporting UNA Student Government President
University of North Alabama Student Government President Jake Statom gained recent support from the Alabama House Republican Caucus following student-led efforts to demand his resignation. Political pressure unsued following Statom’s repost of an Instagram post on his personal social media account about the “LGBTQ” agenda, adding a statement that sought to promote traditional morals and biblical values. Student activists responded to this by crafting a petition demanding his resignation from the student government presidency by June 30 and threatening impeachment proceedings if he failed to concede to their demands. Following this, Statom released a video apologizing to those who might have been hurt by his online comment and committing to being more thoughtful and considerate of differing perspectives, according to a recent press release from the Alabama House Republican Caucus. “My Republican colleagues and I recognize the courage it takes for college leaders to promote biblical principles and traditional values on campuses that are increasingly embracing the Cancel Culture and its ‘woke’ demands,” State Rep. Jamie Kiel said. “Because our founding fathers considered the freedoms of speech and religion so important, they made them the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, and Jake Statom was simply exercising the liberties that are guaranteed to him.” Kiel sponsored a resolution in support of the student leader with House Republican Caucus members from across the state voting its approval. Other members of the local legislative delegation including State Reps. Lynn Greer (R – Rogersville), Phillip Pettus (R – Killen), Andrew Sorrell (R – Muscle Shoals) and State Sens. Larry Stutts (R – Tuscumbia) and Tim Melson (R – Florence) have also expressed strong support for Statom, according to Kiel. “Whether someone agrees with or opposes the stand that Jake Statom has taken, his constitutional right to speak freely and promote his religious beliefs must not be abridged with threats of impeachment and baseless attacks on his character,” Senator Stutts added. The text of the House Republican Caucus resolution reads: WHEREAS Jake Statom, an engineering major from Tuscumbia, was elected as president of the University of North Alabama Student Government Association in February; and, WHEREAS Statom reposted an Instagram post about the “LGBTQ” agenda and added a statement that sought to promote traditional morals and biblical values; and, WHEREAS some students responded to Statom’s comment, which was made on his personal social media account, with a petition demanding his resignation from the student government presidency by June 30 and threatening impeachment proceedings if he did not concede to their demands; and, WHEREAS Statom released a video statement apologizing to those who might have been hurt by his online comment and committing to being more thoughtful and considerate of differing perspectives; and, WHEREAS a student-led counter petition supporting Statom’s right to free speech and expression garnered more signatures than the one that issued threats of political reprisals; and, WHEREAS the university environment is traditionally one which promotes the free and open exchange of ideas – both conservative and liberal – and protects an individual’s right to their own religious beliefs, values, and moral standards; and, WHEREAS the dangerous “Cancel Culture” atmosphere that predominates on college campuses both in Alabama and across the country seeks to silence opinions that are deemed to be politically unacceptable to leftist ideologues and punish those who continue to adhere to traditional values, especially those rooted in fundamental religious teachings; and, WHEREAS, Statom committed no impeachable offense by simply exercising the basic freedoms of opinion, expression, and religion that are guaranteed to all Americans under the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the members of the Alabama House Republican Caucus, support Jake Statom’s right to express and promote his personal beliefs in the public forum and recognize his voluntary willingness to apologize to those he might have offended; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we strongly oppose any effort to impeach, remove, or apply political pressure intended to force Jake Statom from the presidency of the University of North Alabama Student Government Association. Given under our hand and the seal of the Alabama House Republican Caucus on this 30th day of June, 2021. House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter House Majority Caucus Vice-Chair Connie Rowe
Toyota changes stand, halts donations to election objectors
Toyota has reversed itself and now says its political action committee will no longer contribute to the Republican legislators who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. The move by the Japanese automaker comes after a social media backlash over the contributions, including threats to stop buying the company’s vehicles. “We understand that the PAC decision to support select members of Congress who contested the results troubled some stakeholders,” Toyota said in a statement Thursday. “We are actively listening to our stakeholders, and at this time, have decided to stop contributing to those members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states in the 2020 election.” Last week the website Axios reported that Toyota led companies in donations to the 147 members of Congress who voted in January against certifying election results on the false grounds that the election was stolen from then-President Donald Trump. The Axios report, based on data gathered by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said that Toyota donated $55,000 to 37 Republican objectors this year. That number was more than double the amount donated by the second-highest donor, Cubic Corp., a defense contractor in San Francisco, Axios said. Toyota will not seek refunds of contributions it already has made, spokesman Scott Vazin said Thursday in an email. He said the company hasn’t decided if or when it will resume the contributions. Immediately after Toyota’s spending was reported, the company defended it, saying it did not believe it’s appropriate to judge legislators based only on their electoral certification vote. The company took input from employees and government officials, Vazin said. But the most important factor was customer feedback, he said. “That really drives our decision making,” he said. Contribution data showed that 34 companies donated at least $5,000 to the campaigns and leadership political action committees of one or more election objectors this year, Axios reported. In addition to criticism on Twitter and elsewhere, the Lincoln Project, a group opposed to Trump, released an internet ad urging people to call Toyota to get the company to stop contributing to the GOP members of Congress. Shortly after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, dozens of big companies, citing their commitment to democracy, pledged to avoid donating money to the 147 lawmakers. It was a striking gesture by some of the most familiar names in business but was largely an empty one. Six months later, many of those companies have resumed funneling cash to political action committees that benefit the election efforts of lawmakers whether they objected to the election certification or not. Walmart, Pfizer, Intel, General Electric, and AT&T are among companies that announced their pledges on behalf of democracy in the days after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a violent bid to disrupt the transfer of power. The companies contend that donating directly to a candidate is not the same as giving to a PAC that supports them. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Republican business owner Jessica Taylor enters U.S. Senate race
The owner of a grant-writing business who narrowly missed a runoff for a congressional seat on Thursday became the fourth candidate to enter the U.S. Senate race in Alabama to replace retiring Sen. Richard Shelby. Jessica Taylor introduced herself to state voters with a video that stressed conservative themes and, like other candidates in the race have done, emphasized her fealty to former President Donald Trump’s agenda as well as her dislike of President Joe Biden’s administration. Speaking of Vice President Kamala Harris, Taylor said she would “be Kamala’s worst nightmare.” “It’s long past time serious conservatives like us rise up and finish Trump’s mission of draining the swamp,” Taylor said in the campaign launch video. “I’ll protect life, defend the Second Amendment, support our police, a strong military, finishing President Trump’s wall, and I’ll never bend the knee to Communist China. And no, I still won’t apologize for it. We already have plenty of RINOs, career politicians, and lobbyists in the swamp, and they’ve been effectively useless,” Taylor said, using the acronym for Republican In Name Only. Three Republicans are already in the race: Katie Britt, the former leader of the Business Council of Alabama and Shelby’s former chief of staff; Congressman Mo Brooks, who is armed with an endorsement from Trump; and Lynda Blanchard, a businesswoman who was Trump’s ambassador to Slovenia. Shelby, one of the Senate’s most senior members, announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection in 2022, igniting what is expected to be a messy GOP primary. Taylor lives in the Birmingham area with her three children. She finished third in the 2020 GOP primary for the 2nd Congressional District. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
