2008
Week 6
February 16, 2008

Hi

The standing room crush for Obama last week in Omaha has a fascinating historical parallel. Mike Kelly, World-Herald columnist, reminded us that almost exactly 40 years earlier, in March of 1968, presidential candidate George Wallace packed the crowd into the same civic auditorium, but with a different message. He was in Omaha to declare the inferiority of Blacks and his intent to use segregation to maintain the United States as it was. Can it be that only forty years later we can get a mixed crowd to whoop for change? Wallace was the cause of race riots in Omaha the next few days. Obama was the cause of crowds the caucus system could not handle. Making our choice by race alone has been pushed far to the side, just in the last two months.

Also in 1968, King was killed the next month. A few weeks later Bobbie Kennedy packed the Civic for presidential preference, and was killed in May in L. A. Dramatic times, in dramatically different settings. (All of us have not changed.)

In the legislature the smoking ban is ready to pass. Very popular with our constituents. We took off the opt-out provisions for local jurisdictions and moved the start time to June one year away, at the beginning of the warm weather. Ease into it with patio options. Everyone agrees second hand smoke kills people. The fuss is about telling someone how to run a business. It is not much of a fuss, as we set parameters for businesses in many ways. A delivery business cannot drive any speed the owners choose, even if they have a Hummer and will not get hurt. Health regulations, which this is, protect us in meat markets -- even while putting restraint on business. The petitions are ready to go if we fail. What I observe is that it is better to hammer this out on the floor, with all sides chiming in, than in an interest group with limited representation. The other side is that the petition process does let every one vote. (The legislature is barred from putting our bill up for a vote.) I feel debate is warranted when the law is drawn up.

I had 16 witnesses testify for my seat belt bill, plus five support letters. The bill would change enforcement, allowing an officer to stop a vehicle for a belt violation. Four of the crowd were from National Highway Safety. The Deputy Administrator began, “The Bush Administration feels this is the least expensive and most effective way we have to save lives.” He projected 17 lives per year saved in Nebraska, most of them youth. Plus, they will give us $10 million for highway construction if we act quickly. The governor has talked of veto, since this would impinge on our voluntary actions. I have trouble with “voluntary.” There is nothing voluntary about seat belts. Using them is the law. Period. The president's people pointed out this is about obeying the law, which they favor. Do we? If it gets out of committee, we shall see. (Let your senator know.)

Chamber's bill to remove the death penalty has been simplified. The committee will remove the “aggravating circumstances” and second trial for sentencing, as that is required only for a death sentence (which cannot be revoked after death). A lot of emotion, understandably. No clear indication of where we will go. The system is broke and we do not know how to fix it, given that we are human beings with built in prejudices. We have begun letting them die on death row. That is one way.

If we keep it, lethal injection is likely out. Hanging is technical, requiring a rope to be shorter if the body is heavier. We do not have recent experience in hanging. Firing squad is the surest method as I see it, though I propose another method. Hire a hit man. A hit man is effective, is relatively cheap, and is a surprise to the offender, so is mostly painless. The method fits our society's desire for violence we do not have to watch.

Which has a segway. A leading Southern Baptist pastor has asked his congregation for prayers that his enemies die. Is God a hit man? The pastor's declared enemies are those who believe in the separation of church and state They discovered he is telling people how to vote and so turned him in to the IRS. Meanwhile, some Florida leaders are trying for a constitutional amendment to allow the state to put money in faith based activities. What is wrong with this picture?

A man who grew up on a farm near Curtis, south of Lexington, truly believes in the entrepreneurial spirit in small population communities. (I refuse to call a town small.) George Garlick attended our Ag School in that town and received a fine education. His Dad gradually became blind, forcing the family off the farm. George did not start his fortune from a comfortable financial base.

However, he invented “images of sound.” He discovered how to do complicated engineering research by studying intricate pictures of sound. He has created 20 companies in Washington state that are a model of creative response to the new images. They involve community participation. Mr. Garlick appeared before our Appropriations Committee, asking us to join him in bringing young people to Curtis as he brings one of his companies to the community to begin a public/private partnership in Curtis. Obviously, I am leaving out a lot, as I always have to. However, that is enough to call for a statewide cheer for George, and for any who will help him demonstrate his dream.

Cheers

Lowen