Truth control -- by Inslee

If Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) has his way, lying about politics will be come a crime.  Oh, no.  Politicians will be forced to stop speaking freely.

Gov. Inslee is calling on lawmakers in Olympia to make it a crime for "elected officials or candidates for office" to lie about election results.

"It should not be legal in the state of Washington for elected officials or candidates for office to willfully lie about these election results," Inslee said, according to a report from the Seattle Times.  No freedom of speech is tolerated.

But what a lie is is often a matter of opinion, especially in politics.  So what Inslee's proposal is that the opinion of the ruling class will be used to squelch the discussion of fact.  And no one will be allowed to oppose the ruling class's version of truth.

If the authorities can define political lies, they can control 'free' speech.   Inslee the Democrat has no use for the process of democracy. 

Gun control plans introduced in Olympia

Anti-gun legislators scheduled a hearing on three unnecessary gun control measures in the House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary.  The hearing has been set for Wednesday, January 12, at 10:00 a.m.

Please contact the committee members and ask them to OPPOSE House Bill 1618, House Bill 1630, and House Bill 1705. You will need to contact each member individually, so prepare a message you can copy and paste. 

This is more convenient ==>  Use the National Rifle Association's link to oppose Olympia's encroachments. 

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HB 1618 prohibits the carrying of any firearm, whether open or concealed, into an “election related office or facility” including polling places, voter registration centers, and more.  Violation would be a gross misdemeanor and revocation of a concealed pistol license for at least 3 years.  Contact your representative to oppose this bill. 

HB 1630 prohibits the carrying of firearms at school board or local municipality meetings. Violation may also result in revocation of a concealed pistol license for at least 3 years.  Contact your representative to oppose this bill.

HB 1705 further restricts the centuries-old practice of manufacturing firearms for personal use ​and self-defense by imposing requirements that far exceed those in federal law.  It seeks to prohibit private individuals from possessing certain unregulated components commonly-used by hobbyists to make their own firearms, as well as possessing currently legal firearms that don’t have serial numbers.  Contact your representative to oppose this bill.

Each bill's page has a section titled "Available Documents" with a link to the current version of the bill.

January 6 and electoral coruption

US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D, WA-07), wrote a lurid email about January 6 -- she was so shocked and frightened!  For some reason she thinks this will lend credence to her position on election integrity.

The noble sounding name For the People Act of 2021 is designed to allow ballot corruption by simplifying multiple registrations of one individual, eradicate confirmation of identification of the the voter and thereby diminish the role of the voters in the control government.

A group of aggrieved citizens, concerned about election integrity reminds Jayapal of  her desire to corrupt the electoral process in favor of her political party.

The email text:

Dear BobQat, -

Today is a somber day for our democracy, as we mark one year from the deadliest and most destructive attack on our Capitol since the War of 1812.

I was trapped in the House Chamber that day, and a year later, I remember each moment of it vividly. I remember the pounding of insurrectionists on the doors into the gallery where I was. I remember hearing the shot ring out. I remember preparing to use my gas mask and cane to fight back. I remember not knowing if I would make it out of our seat of democracy alive and not knowing if our democracy would survive.

A year later, the Big Lie persists in so many communities across this country as Trump and his Republicans in office continue to peddle dangerous misinformation.

That is exactly why we cannot stop until the insurrection is fully investigated — and every single person who was involved, either in the riot itself or in the planning and promoting of it, is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. There must be justice for what occurred.

We also need to be honest about what happened and see clearly what was revealed to us. During the deadly insurrection, rioters were allowed to commit countless crimes on federal property, assault police officers, threaten to hang Mike Pence – and still walk out of the building once they were done tarnishing it.

It's time for accountability and justice. It's time to protect our democracy. That is why I am continuing my push for new voting rights legislation. And that is why it is so important that you engage in our political system and insist on voting rights for everyone. This is just too important for us to let up or stop fighting with everything we've got.

Talk soon, 

Pramila Jayapal
U.S. Representative (WA-07)

Inslee announced homelessness spending plans

Gov. Jay Inslee today announced his homelessness proposals for the 2022 legislative session, which will bolster Washington’s leadership in finding solutions for individuals living without shelter and help those at risk of becoming homeless.

The governor put forward the $800 million increase in spending proposal to address homelessness to:

• Pursue new avenues to help people remain in their homes
• Secure more facilities to provide permanent supportive and affordable housing
• Expand supportive services for people with behavioral health needs
• Transition encamped people to permanent housing solutions
• Restore the range of affordable housing types in our cities
  

"Unsheltered Washingtonians deserve a safe, warm and dry place to live, with additional resources available, if they need them. This is not only the right thing to do for these people, but the right thing to do for our state and our communities," Inslee said.

Text of the proposal release

View the press release event

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One of the underlying causes of housing shortage has to be the unlawful immigration of millions of needy.  Its self-evident that flooding basic housing with needy people will directly create homelessness.  Moreover, the flood of newcomers will squeeze out the current marginally housed persons into tent cities.

Washington State's new, redrawn, political districts -- finalized (for now)

Washington State has freshly redrawn its political districts.  The final maps (for the next ten years) are reproduced here:

WA State Legislative Districts

US Congressional districts

These maps can be found at https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/final-maps iffen you need a more detailed look.

The state Supreme Court decided not to intervene with the process and accepted the maps as drawn by the redistricting commission.

The Supreme Court decision was a little awkward in view of the fact that the redistricting commission had gummed up their process and did not get all their work handed in in time.  But the redistricting commission did present a plan.  It was this the Supreme Court accepted.

The commission web site puts it like this:

"The four voting commissioners on the Washington State Redistricting Commission were unable to adopt a districting plan by the midnight deadline on November 15, 2021. They did, however, approve Congressional District and Legislative District maps and are making them available to the public. You can access the Commissioner's approved district map pages."

Its been a lot of work in these tumultuous times.  The commissioners must have felt slightly incoherent

The religious right to decline any compulsion

For almost ten years now, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the State of Washington have targeted an elderly, small-town florist named Barronelle Stutzman. The case began when Barronelle declined to serve a long-time customer’s gay wedding. A few months ago, Barronelle, now 77, filed a request for a final rehearing of her religious liberty case with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of her business, Arlene’s Flowers.

This week, the ACLU offered, and Barronelle accepted, a five-thousand-dollar settlement. It’s a surprisingly small amount, given how long Barronelle has lived under the threat of losing her business, assets, and life savings due to exorbitant legal fees and penalties.

Maybe the ACLU has finally seen their case for what it is: petty bullying. Or, maybe they think the optics of bullying a grandmother are just bad. Either way, Barronelle has wisely, I believe, accepted the settlement. Here’s a review of the important facts of the case.

In 2014, Barronelle told a long-time customer and friend that she couldn’t create a floral arrangement for his wedding to another man. Throughout their many years of friendship, Barronelle had served this customer with her creative talents. However, due to her Christian beliefs about marriage, she couldn’t, in good conscience, create an arrangement for this occasion.

The friend said he understood the decision and asked for referrals for other florists. Barronelle recommended three. The two embraced, and then said goodbye.

All was quiet until the Attorney General for the State of Washington saw a social media post about the incident and decided to sue Barronelle for discrimination. In 2015, a trial court found her guilty of violating Washington’s anti-discrimination law. The Court also ordered her to pay a $1,000 fine and the ACLU’s legal fees, and to no longer accept wedding business unless she also agreed to serve gay weddings.

Her appeal to the State Supreme Court drew so much interest that oral arguments were held in a local college auditorium. The State Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Stutzman, citing Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Obergefell language and even claiming that to not service a same-sex wedding is to “disrespect and subordinate” gays and lesbians. The court also ruled that floral arrangements weren’t “speech” but instead “conduct,” and that even if the State had violated Barronelle’s right to free exercise, it was fair and legal to do so because they’d do it to everyone. In other words, they weren’t just singling out Barronelle.

From the beginning, Barronelle has been represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). In 2018, ADF appealed the Washington State court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. After finding the State of Colorado guilty of animus toward the religious beliefs of baker Jack Phillips in a similar case, the Supreme Court vacated the Washington State Court decision and ordered them to re-examine Barronelle’s case. Not about to admit it had done anything wrong, the Washington State Court upheld their ruling against Barronelle.

Last year, ADF appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a baffling move, the Court declined to hear her case. ADF asked the Court to reconsider, something that rarely happens after denial.

Earlier this week, Barronelle accepted the ACLU’s settlement offer. This means she can retire in peace, having more than earned the right to step off the legal treadmill and out of the media spotlight, which she never sought. And, to be clear, not once did she compromise or violate her conscience throughout this whole ordeal. Instead, her courage, kindness, and long obedience have laid the groundwork for the kind of legal resistance against coercion that will certainly have to continue.

Barronelle now passes the baton in this important battle to protect religious freedom to the rest of us, especially to web designer Lorie Smith. Her case could go before the U.S. Supreme Court soon. The 10th Circuit ruled last summer that the State of Colorado could compel Lorie’s business, 303 Creative, to create websites with speech that violates her religious beliefs.

It’s impossible to know how many business owners, artists, and others have found courage for their own convictions by watching Barronelle. Her saga has made it clear to the rest of us that this kind of thing can really happen in the United States, and to say that religious liberty is under threat in this country cannot be dismissed as hyperbolic fear-mongering.

It’s also important to note that Barronelle made her original decision not only out of her own beliefs, but out of her concern for her friend, Rob. Barronelle was not willing to aid and abet behavior that was damaging to her friend’s soul. In other words, it is not only loving God, but also loving our neighbor, that will require courage in the days to come.

Stonestreet/Baer

Socialists and Seattle elections

BobOne, our satellite blogger in Seattle, submits the following opinion

Rank & file Democrats believe that government can take care of social problems  - it can't.  Elite Democrats in government think they are entitled to control society - which is why freedom dies.

Pretty sure the use of 'Democrats' and 'think' in the same sentence violates several basic tenets - Magna Carta, Constitution (42nd Amendment), T'Logica of Vulcan, Motorcycle helmet regulations, the instruction tag on my mattress, Ohm's law....

At least Seattle took a couple tiny steps away from utter bats++t socialism in last week's election.

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Socialists don't care if the poor get poorer ... that's okay with them.  They just want to make the rich get poorer.   As long as the socialists are in control of the misery.

Washington State citizens' petition available now

Stop the income tax

The state legislature enacted an illegal tax on personal income.  Although the legislature claims the income tax is directed only at the ultra-rich, don't believe it.  If the legislature is will to enact an illegal tax, they certainly won't be bothered by lying about their intent to 'tax only the rich.'

We the People are opposing this tax with a citizens initiative petition, Initiative 1408.  This measure would prohibit the state, counties, and cities from imposing or collecting taxes it describes as “based on personal income,” and repeal a tax on certain sales of long-term capital assets.

Stop Olympia's ever expanding appetite for our money.  Get copies of the petition from https://permanentoffense.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/1408PetitionPDF.pdf

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Stop the new payroll tax expansion

Starting January 1st, Olympia will raise your payroll taxes hundreds of dollars each year for a new program that will give you little, or nothing, in return.

I-1436 allows you to opt in — OR OPT OUT — of participating in Olympia’s new long-term care tax at any time. The choice of providing for your future stays in YOUR hands… not the government’s.

Imagine a retirement program that forces you to pay in, but you receive no benefits if you retire within 10 years.
Or a program that takes away your benefits if you move to another state (you can’t take it with you).
Or a program with NO income cap — even Social Security and Medicare don’t do that!
Or a program that taxes you for your entire working life while your benefits for a family are limited and could last less than a year.

Get petition copies.  Join the effort to stop Olympia ever expanding tax affair.  Initiative website - https://www.yeson1436.com/. 

Washington State Redistricting Commission Update

An update on the current redistricting commission progress.  More accurately, this is an update on the links leading to the updates of the progress being made on redistricting everyone in the state.  The maps must be finalized by Nov. 15 — or the process will be referred to the Washington State Supreme Court — there is still time to submit your suggestions to the commission.

Commission Proposed Maps:  Each commissioner on the redistricting commission proposed a redistricting district map reflecting that commissioner's political interests. Thus each link on the page will lead you to a different map proposed by only that one commissioner and generally different from the other commissioners and even differing from that commissioner's previous proposals.  This is an untidy process.  If you want to get into the thick of it, this link takes you to the front page of the whole redistricting process  https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/.

This is a public process -- each proposal can by commented on by the public.  It takes time to wade through the proposals.

Each commissioner's individual proposed congressional maps - https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/proposed-congressional-maps

Each commissioner's individual proposed legislative Maps - https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/commissioner-proposed-maps
 

Official Religious Intolerance in Washington State

Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission has been enormously successful in ministering to the city’s homeless population. Two years after program completion, 70 percent of Mission clients are working or going to school full time. Yet the Mission’s employees will freely say that success is just a byproduct of their most important priority: bringing others into relationship with Jesus Christ. It is that focus which makes the Mission so spectacularly successful.

It works. Mission workers serve over 1,000 of their homeless neighbors each day. And, again, of the many hurting people who take part in the Mission’s programs each year, about 70 percent are on the right track and either working or in school. It would be difficult to find another organization making such a positive impact in such a difficult area. And in a city where nearly 12,000 homeless individuals crowd the streets every night, that kind of success is vital not only to the lives of those on the streets, but to the well-being of the city itself.

Of course, a philosophy only works if everyone involved buys into it, which is why the Mission requires all full-time employees to share and live out their Christian religious beliefs, be actively involved in a local church, and be willing and able to share the Gospel with those whom they serve.

In 2016, though, a former volunteer decided to apply for a full-time position with the Mission’s legal-aid clinic — despite the fact that he did not agree with the Mission’s religious beliefs or follow its religious-lifestyle requirements. In fact, he wanted to change the Mission’s beliefs and dismiss the very faith that has spurred its remarkable success.

Understandably, the Mission turned down his application. The applicant opted to take the Mission to court, hoping to find a judge who would punish the organization for declining to hire him. He struck gold at the Washington Supreme Court, where all nine justices ruled in his favor, despite the legislature’s exclusion of religious nonprofits from state employment law.

In doing so, the state’s highest court effectively torpedoed a religious freedom that the federal government and nearly every other state protects: the ability of religious organizations to hire those who share and live out the organization’s beliefs. This ruling puts the Mission to an untenable choice: hire someone who has stated his intent to change the organization’s beliefs or shut its doors to the homeless neighbors who rely on the Mission for help.

This ruling is unconstitutional. Which is why the Mission has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case. The Mission — like the thousands of vulnerable individuals that it serves — depends on the nation’s highest court upholding the right of religious organizations to build and sustain organizations of believers who share the same faith.

(John Bursch - National Review, edited)