Sunday, March 16, 2008

Oh, before I forget

Would the three winners of last week’s contest please let me know when they receive their prizes, either by dropping a comment or an e-mail? (I had a friend drop them in the mail Friday afternoon.)

Thanks bunches! 

Oh, if I can suggest a really cool musical, I’ve been listening to the official soundtrack from “Wicked” (the original Broadway cast, with Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel doing superb jobs as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively). I’ve discovered that the soundtrack is missing a song from Act Two - “The Wicked Witch Of The East” - but it still provides some great listening.

And Idina Menzel sounds like she has a third lung tucked away somewhere.

Confessions of An LA Resident

It’s what we call pent-up anger.

The local punditry are throwing a fit about a Steve Lopez column in the LA Times where he apologizes and turns-tail after interviewing a local conservative who is fed up with gangs and local gang activists. A reader of the popular WitnessLA blog drops a note to tell everyone exactly how he feels about being railed for telling it like it is.

Some of us actually live here, are the ones paying taxes for things like these failed gang intervention programs that haven’t worked, pay the ever-increasing trash and Prop S etc. taxes for barely enough cops to keep all-out hell from breaking out, pay for LAUSD schools that may as well be juvenile delinquent training centers, cope with the illegals who’ve bogged down all our infrastructure and ER’s and healthcare centers to the point of collapse, gridlocked traffic because there’s no money for “fixes” or an extensive subway — while the old leftie idiots from somewhere else babble on, marching in brainless lockstep, agreeing on “correct” analyses and solutions they memorized in the sixties.

Sometimes the truth hurts. I’m sure the LA Times will apologize for you if you need it.

Berkeley better start shaking

And not just from the seismic faults…

Still skimming through the State Constitution, and found another interesting tidbit:

CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE 7 PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES

SEC. 9.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution, no person or organization which advocates the overthrow of the Government of the United States or the State by force or violence or other unlawful means or who advocates the support of a foreign government against the United States in the event of hostilities shall:

(a) Hold any office or employment under this State, including but not limited to the University of California, or with any county, city or county, city, district, political subdivision, authority, board, bureau, commission or other public agency of this State; or
(b) Receive any exemption from any tax imposed by this State or any county, city or county, city, district, political subdivision, authority, board, bureau, commission or other public agency of this State.

The Legislature shall enact such laws as may be necessary to enforce the provisions of this section.

There goes the entire Berkeley City Council and a goodly chunk of the administration and faculty at their college.

Press ‘1’ For English

You know, I was skimming through Ted & Hazel’s Picador Project, and there is a section recommending that every one read their State Constitution.

Well, I’ve never backed down from a reading challenge before. (I used to win the Gold Star in Reading every week, but I was reading at college-level by the time I was eight, and testing well beyond that by the age of ten.) So I went forth and did so.

And found something interesting…

CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE 3 STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SEC. 6.  (a) Purpose.
English is the common language of the people of the United States of America and the State of California.  This section is intended to preserve, protect and strengthen the English language, and not to supersede any of the rights guaranteed to the people by this Constitution.

(b) English as the Official Language of California.
English is the official language of the State of California.

(c) Enforcement.
The Legislature shall enforce this section by appropriate legislation.  The Legislature and officials of the State of California shall take all steps necessary to insure that the role of English as the common language of the State of California is preserved and enhanced.  The Legislature shall make no law which diminishes or ignores the role of English as the common language of the State of California.

(d) Personal Right of Action and Jurisdiction of Courts.
Any person who is a resident of or doing business in the State of California shall have standing to sue the State of California to enforce this section, and the Courts of record of the State of California shall have jurisdiction to hear cases brought to enforce this section.  The Legislature may provide reasonable and appropriate limitations on the time and manner of suits brought under this section.

Now maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t it “diminish or ignore the role of English as the common language of the State of California” to print official documents - including voting documents, which are allegedly only given to citizens, and only those citizens eligible to cast a ballot (which excludes minor children, felons on parole, and the mentally disabled) - in every language imaginable? Just as an example, the ballots in Los Angeles County are printed in seven - count ‘em, SEVEN - “official” languages (costing an untold number of millions of dollars every election cycle).

Let me make sure I understand this.

1. Elections are limited to American citizens of a minimum age. (I include both natural and Naturalized - foreign-born - citizens.)
2. To become a naturalized American citizen, our law requires that you demonstrate “an understanding of the English language, including an ability to read, write and speak ... simple words and phrases ... in ordinary usage in the English language.”
3. Lawmakers, in an attempt to pander to foreign-language, have added an unnecessary burden on our State employees and voting volunteers by increasing the number of languages in which official ballots are printed, which will inevitably increase errors.

Before each election, the Department of Justice issues regulations that require states and counties to provide foreign-language ballots if more than 5 percent or more than 10,000 of voting-age citizens belong to one of the favored language groups. But haven’t I just shown that the California State Constitution makes it explicit that the official language of the ENTIRE STATE is “English”, bypassing that requirement (which is a violation of the 14th Amendment in any case, as it treats people differently on the basis of a protected class (specifically, national origin))?

The law is explicit. In order to be a citizen, you have to have a basic grasp of written and spoken English. The State of California has an official language, specified within its Constitution - English. Using taxpayer funds to print official documents in any other language is a mis-allocation of those funds, and the persons who do so would be subject to criminal investigation, just as though they had spent the funds on subsidizing illegal immigrants through welfare, medical care, and school tuitions.

Oh, wait. 

We gotta get the fuck out of this State, and pray for San Andreas to finish its job.