THIS TIME: LAW AND COMMON SENSE WIN!

On August 3, a federal judge in Idaho struck down the State's so called ag-gag law for violating the First Amendment.

The Law in question is also found in seven other states and was purported to be about protection of private property.  The Law was advanced by farm owners and the agriculture lobby to protect against the release of undercover videos taken by animal welfare advocacy groups.

Under the Law anyone, journalist or farm employee could face jail and be fined should the expose result in losses to farmers by exposing misconduct to the public eye. Sponsors of the ag-gag Law
claimed that videos exposed the industry to public opinion,

In striking down the Law the judge said that food production for the public market is not a private
matter.

When I read about this decision I thought of the many times in our country's history when exposes  led to changes in the manufacturing, production and distribution of products which indeed affect
the health and safety of people.

So often when we discuss quality of life issues like water pollution, or gun control or community health, arguments against advancing common sense changes are denied with less than accurate legal
interpretation of The Constitution.

The Idaho decision is a welcome one as it clarifies that difference between the state's right and public interest in seeing what goes on behind closed doors cannot be negated by state legislators.

This time Law and common sense won!

REFLECTING ON THE ADA

On July 26th when we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act,  I thought not only of the people who have benefited from this Law and of how much as  Society we have gained, but I also thought of people who brought the ADA to fruition.

I thought too of the long struggle to have the voices of those with little or no political power heard.

I still remember the names and faces of those I had the privilege  of working with, many of whom I still hear from.  Some have died, but all helped me learn and grow.

These are some of the people who I remember and without whom the ADA would not have been possible:

From parents and families who in the face of many obstacles still believed that there was a place for people with disabilities to learn and be productive in our society;

To those who wanted to use their own voices to be heard and successfully formed their own organization, "Speaking for Ourselves;"

To the Federal Judge wise enough to close down one of the country's most notorious institutions where both staff and patients had lost their humanity;

To the student intern who helped developed a small brochure called, "What do you say to a person with mental retardation? Try, Hello!"

To the many care workers and  University trained professionals who patiently and encouragingly offered therapy in music, art and  vocational skills;

To the attentive record keepers who found flaws in systems that sometimes lost track of family members that had been inadvertently  incarcerated and then took the time and made the effort to rectify the error;

To the diversity of people of all color, of all educational and economic means who worked long and hard to bring about society's change in attitude;

To business people who understood the value of hiring employees who were productive and reliable;

To a small group of actors who took a chance to tell the story in a different way through mime;

To far-sighted state and federal legislators, small community elected officials and to national and international figures who listened and then brought the power of their authority to help all of us better understand our obligation to each other;

All of them and others came to mind as the Americans with Disabilities Act celebrated its 25th Anniversary on July 26, 2015.

THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT, FOR TAKING US INTO PRISON!

The President's visit to El Reno federal prison did more than encourage any one of us to think, there but for the grace of god go I.

Prisons, like our courts and justice system are often out of sight and mind unless of course, we have the occasion to feel or be in their presence for large scale or petty crimes.

What the President's visit to El Reno did for all of us was to remind us that this country's public policy and institutions represent each of us and the national values we have in place.

It is all too easy to find our attention confined to the vigor and demands of ordinary life rather than feel a real sense of responsibility for things not easily visible like prisons.

It is often difficult to understand our connection as citizens to our national doctrine of fairness, equitable  justice and opportunity for all, yet all provide us with individual well being.

President Obama walked into a prison alone, but he took with him the hope of enlightened citizens, unafraid to examine this country's short comings and make them better.


 

ARE TIMELESS, UNIVERSAL FEELINGS EXPRESSED IN OLD LETTERS?

A friend told me she had been going through boxes of old photos. As she did so, she discovered hand written letters from her children when they attended summer camp for the first time during the 60s.

In one letter her son sent a dull pencil and requested that she "sharpen it" and "send soaks."

Another child that she had taught to iron clothes said he was having a good time but had "scotched" (instead of scorched) his pants.

In another letter, a religious ornament worn around the neck and meant to protect the wearer was returned because "a mouse and a snake ran across the cabin floor."

As she told me all this, I was reminded of  Allan Sherman's  parody about letters from children at camp. The song was called, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" and was a big hit.

The 60s was a time when summer camp may have marked the first time young children were sent  away from their home. Nothing more than an obligatory letter connected them to family to say they were O.K. and were having a good time, no matter the spelling.

Allan Sherman's  parody on camp life captured both the universally felt anxiety of parents and the innocence of children who were separated from each other for the first time.

I wonder, is the electronics age able to capture the warm humor of such human feelings as well?

WORDS AND JUSTICE SIRICA AND LAW

The Affordable Care Act, with all its flaws and problems has many supporters and users. However, its opponents have now taken the Act to the Supreme Court.  

In a well-researched article in the May 26 edition of The New York Times, columnist Robert Pear

says the opposition may be based on an error in the use of words.  Pear bases his assessment on interviews with members of Congress, their staff, committee members and the process of  drafting and reviewing the Law.

If Pear's assessment is correct, it seems to me the words which may have been written in error

 could indeed cause legal scholars, and politicians grounds for debate.

The dictionary defines the word "law" in six different ways.  Each definition is broken down in several different categories and usage.  Synonyms for the word are also listed. 

One of the main definitions is that law is the basis for civil and communal behavior.  Even so

our history as a nation reminds us  that sometimes laws can be less than just or fair.

Mr. Pear concludes his article with a quote from Justice Antonin Scalia who said "it is not what Congress would have wanted, but what Congress enacted."  With all due respect to Justice Scalia, I wonder as a nation are we unable to admit mistakes and correct them?  

     

SO WHAT IS SHELL'S OIL DRILLING IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN REALLY ABOUT?

Even in the face of one failure after another less than three years ago, Shell still plans to drill in the Arctic Ocean.

The reason given?  We need the oil to provide the energy Mr. & Mrs. America,  and the world needs. Say what?

Have we come to a point in our civilization that neither  fish nor foul nor the lives of people who will work in one of nature's most awesome and unpredictable environments are worth little? Are we about to be taken in once again by false promises that we can beat the will of Mother Nature?

Are we so enticed by prospects for pay-offs, for returns on the dollar that this lark by Shell is a must-have for the benefit of humanity?  Or is it another futile effort to benefit a handful of investors?

Have we become so greedy or so disrespectful of human limitations that we can now accept that the environment of which we are a part is now to be considered as fodder for unworthy endeavors?

I do not know why the Obama administration gave Shell and the Petroleum industry a green light to go ahead with this folly in face of the drilling, fractoring and other sure-fire remedies that have failed and created more chaos than benefits in our hunt for energy.

I do know that I wish I had a kayak and a paddle so I could join the activists  to block Royal Dutch Shell from using the port of Seattle for their drilling fleet.

DESPITE CONTROVERSY AND DISASTER SPRING ARRIVES!

These last days of April brought controversy to another city here in America.  We seem to have a difficult time understanding that injustice is like a nasty contagious disease that affects all of us.

In spite of national turmoil and natural disaster, Mother Nature blessed us with a glorious day today. The kind of day that we look for excuses to be outside.  Even though parts of the country are dealing with drought, while other parts are concerned with flooding, St. Louis enjoyed a cloudless day.

Date and weather conditions are registered by weather people, I prefer to keep track of Spring's arrival by the buds that are suddenly in bloom and the noisy sound of birds.

Today, both showed their presence and were welcomed.