Jan. 24th, 2006

ebonlock: (Colbert Report)
Well it's nice to know what's really going on in the brains of some of those anti-choice activists clearly and unapologetically stated for all the world to see. Hey, at least I can admire their honesty, which is a rare and wonderful thing to finally be able to say about the real bleeding edge wingnuts I guess.

via Pandagon

But color me stunned when of all people a Republican Jackson Township Committeeman named Mark A. Seda schooled his colleagues regarding Lt. Hester a dying police officer who's been fighting for the right to leave her pension to her life partner. She's been consistently refused by the committee, but after Seda's intervention, seems to have won her fight at long last:

Like many other people around the world, I’ve been learning a great deal recently about the issue of Domestic Partner rights that has placed Ocean County front and center on the world’s stage through the incredibly courageous story of Ocean County’s own hometown hero, Lt. Laurel Hester of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

From what I can see, I’m only one of millions who’s been touched in a very big way by Lt. Hester’s story. If it weren’t for Lt Hester’s heart-wrenching story, I would probably not have paid much attention to this issue. Her dignity and the incredible bravery she’s displayed at the end of her life in wanting to change the world has inspired me to realize that as an elected official I should be standing by her side.

I’ve been approached by a lot of people in Jackson and elsewhere about this issue. I was very pleased to learn that the overwhelming majority of them agree with me that this is an important civil rights issue; an issue that as Americans we all have to address. To me, it seems like it’s nothing other than a very simple matter of fundamental fairness and Equal Rights for All Americans. If it weren’t for Lt Hester’s heart-wrenching story, I would probably not have paid much attention to this issue.But now I have, and I’m alarmed to learn of the loop holes New Jersey law dealing with Domestic Partnership Rights. I’ve found there are a lot of gaps in existing state laws that have been created in recent years and quite frankly in my estimation need to be closed.


Every Dem or so-called Dem in New Jersey should be hanging their heads in shame. Hell, I'm hanging my head in shame for them all the way out here on the left coast. I've got to say it, Seda's one Republican I can really respect, at least when it comes to his stance on civil rights. Wow, that's kind of a rare and wonderful thing too these days, but it makes me happy there are still some downright decent people in politics, regardless of which side of the aisle they happen to be on.
ebonlock: (Tinkerbell)
Wha-?

What BushCo wants, according to the fine print (Sec. 605) of the new PATRIOT Act, is a permanent Praetorian Guard, or Cheka, or Gestapo. It's all too easy to come up with apt historical analogies--but not with any from this nation's history.

"A permanent police force, to be known as the 'United States Secret Service Uniformed Division,'" empowered to "make arrests without warrant for any offense against the United States committed in their presence" (what is "an offense against the United States?), "or for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such felony" (what are "reasonable grounds"?).

Actual text for House Report 109-333 - USA PATRIOT IMPROVEMENT AND REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005 SEC. 605. THE UNIFORMED DIVISION, UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE behind the cut... )

Steve Gilliard responds with:

The terms Gestapo and Cheka are innacurate. This is more like the CRS, Bundespoliezi or Guarda Civil. They won't work in secret, you will have hundreds of uniformed, heavily armed regular police ready to beat heads in. This could grow very rapidly, and is being pushed because Katrina showed the military WILL NOT do civil law enforcement.

So Bush could send a couple of hundred to monitor anti-war protests outside the UN, "help" with isolating a city with a health emergency or take over security for a political convention.

A National Police Force, with national arrest powers is essential for a dictatorship.
Even a force of 10,000 could kick off major disorder. And this is only part of the bill because the military will not serve as Bush's police.


WTF?

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