MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Ken Webber still proudly flies his Confederate battle flag with the word “Redneck” emblazed across it from the CB antenna on his pickup truck. He hopes that his lawsuit in federal court will get his job back driving a school bus.
“What Mr. Webber is encapsulating is a Jeffersonian agrarianism, where you stand up for your rights,” attorney Thomas Boardman argued Thursday in U.S. District Court. “If we are going to say someone cannot identify as a redneck, what else can we not identify ourselves as?”
Attorneys for bus company First Student Inc. and the Phoenix-Talent School District countered that Webber himself said that the flag, a gift from his father, represented his “redneck” lifestyle, where family comes first, and people enjoy hunting, fishing and driving four-wheel-drive trucks through the mud. They said the flag did not represent any kind of political speech that would be protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The arguments came on a motion filed by the bus company and the school district asking the judge to decide the case based on legal arguments without going to a trial before a jury. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke took the matter under advisement. No trial date has been set.
House of Delegates passes “Castle Doctrine”
Legislation that would allow homeowners to use any degree of force, even lethal, against intruders without threat of criminal or civil charges has passed the House of Delegates.
House Bill 48, sponsored by Del. Richard P. “Dickie” Bell, R-Staunton, which would codify a version of the state’s common-law “Castle Doctrine” passed the House Thursday on a 70-28 vote after a second day of debate.
Democrats argued that the measure could be used to justify homicide when the circumstances are not clear.
But Republicans won out, claiming that the bill merely allowed an individual to protect themselves and their homes against illegal intruders.
On first glance, This bill seems fine. Of course, there are no provisions for luring someone inside that you hate, just so you could waste them. When I was a kid we were always told that if you killed someone breaking down your door, drag them inside.
I have never known why bills like this one have been so controversial, so I am posting it. I guess I will find out. Would this law apply to the home owner or the renter? What about spouses, kids, girl friends, etc.? I would certainly hope that a renter would be extended the same privilege of using lethal force if threatened.
Delegate Bell certainly is prolific. Many of his bills are absurd. This one is not.
Contraception: What do the employees think?
For some of us, the very fact that we are having a discussion about birth control in 2012 is almost unfathomable. We know that unless women can control their own reproduction, there is no equality.
This was also a fight many of us thought was over 50 years ago. This issue isn’t a fringe issue or something avant-garde. The churches do themselves no favors getting strident over the issue of contraception and certainly the Republican party, in an election year, does itself no favors. 98% of all women who are or have been sexually active have used contraception. There are some things that just should not be political and this is one of them.
So far, the Affordable Care Act has stated that contraception will be made available on all health care policies for free, without deduction. There has been a hue and cry over this health care rule, from the clergy, politicians,employers, bloggers, and probably lots of others I haven’t mentioned. The issue is about health care to most of us. To some, the issue is about religious freedom. That’s a hard argument to survive when no one is saying anyone has to use contraception.
What hasn’t been mentioned is that 28 states already require contraception coverage. Additionally, some Catholic institutions already provide contraception in their benefits package. DePaul University is one such example and it is the largest Catholic University.
There is one group that we haven’t heard from in this media frenzy of opinion and that is the employees. The Catholic Church is probably putting up the biggest barrier to this health care mandate and that is because of their beliefs. We know what many of the men of the church are saying. What we do not know is what the employees of all the Catholic institutions are saying. Those workers at hospitals, universities, publishing houses and various support systems run by the Catholic church have yet to voice their opinion. Some are probably afraid. They want to keep their jobs. Some are afraid, especially if they are Catholic, of their priest finding out that they use contraception. Regardless, this group is the most affected by the controversy and the most under-represented in the discussion. The sounds of silence are deafening.
