Push by local "Tea Party" to strip Persons With Disabilities of their Civil Rights beat back,
For those of you who don't know, the Obama Administration recently made an administrative change in the Americans With Disabilities Act.
This Act, passed by the Congress, and signed by President George H.W. Bush back in 1990, basically recognized that American citizens with disabilities should not be deprived of the right to participate fully in society. It is, to people with disabilities, what the 19th Amendment is to American women, and the 13th and 14th Amendment (as well as the Civil Rights Act) are to Black Americans.
It requires all public places, as well as employers, to make "reasonable accomodation" for people's various disabilities, so that they can fully partake of the life us able-bodied citizens enjoy.
For 21 years, the necessity for public accomodations to allow "service animals" to enter their premises has been in operation, with very little problems, and almost no litigation as to what constitutes a service animal.
Then along comes the Obama Justice Department. Under pressure from groups like hotel operators (who feel they are losing revenue because, while they are more than happy to allow pets, which they charge extra for, charging extra for a service animal is a violation of the A.D.A.), they totally on a whim, with no input from Congress, decided to upend the law and define "service animal" to include only seeing-eye dogs. Period. Again, it bears repeating. CONGRESS did not change the law. There were no public hearings or committee meetings. No court decision compelled a change in the law. Typical of the high-handed arrogance of this Administration, they simply DECIDED to ram this change in the law thru, despite the fact our Constitution does not give the Executive the power to make law. Here in America (at least, before Obama), laws are made by the Legislative branch, subject to review by the Judicial branch, and are enforced by the Executive branch.
Fortunately, our City Council here in Hesperia is very responsive to the citizens they serve. They are sensitive to the needs of all our people, including those with disabilities. So, an service animal ordinance was proposed to keep the law in Hesperia identical to the way the law has been in all of America for the last 21 years. It passed the first reading on a 4-1 vote. The lone dissent was Bill Jensens Tea Party lapdog, Bill Holland.
And then the most bizarre thing happened. A former Councilmember/current Planning Commissioner/self-styled Tea Party activist decided he needs to get his name in the paper, apparently. So this guy, Bill Jensen, decides to totally support the Obama Administrations decision to strip disabled Americans of their Civil Rights. He activates his mindless followers, fills their heads (and their hands, they all show up at the Council meeting and just read what he tells them to) with lies and stupidity in the most despicable and craven act of political cowardice I have ever seen. About 20 of them. People I know know better. People who, for two years now have vocally resisted the Obama Administration's usurpations and distortions of our American, Constitutional way of government. Now all of a sudden they are on The Annointed One's bandwagon.
I couldn't take it. I had to let loose and tell them the truth to their face. I told them I was embarassed to be in the room with them. And I am. I am embarassed that the city I call my home could contain such heartless evil as these people propose. And I am ashamed that I have ever done business with any of the business people who came and spoke to deprive their fellow citizens of access to their places of business.
So, I am telling you now, unless and until they apologize fromally and publicly, I will actively seek the removal of Bill Holland and Bill Jensen, and I urge all of you, from this moment forward to boycott the following businesses, since they seek to exclude citizens from their places of business: Century 21 Rose Realty, Marriott hotels, Italian Kitchen, attorney Richard Smolin, Sizzler Restaurant on Main St, A-1 Cleaning Service and, finally THE HESPERIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
That's right. the Chamber's Executive Director, Yvonne Woitovich, has drunk the Jensen Kool-Aid, and decided that the Chamber's members are best served by advocating against being accomodating to Americans with disabilities. She claimed to speak for the Chamber, and I can only take her at her word. Personally, I will no longer do business with anyone who belongs to the Chamber, unless and until the Chamber apologizes and retracts it's support for marginalizing the disabled, or until that business resigns it's membership. If they think allowing service animals is bad for business, let's show them how bad being anti-disabled is for business!
I know, some of you will think this is extreme, but when it comes to protecting the rights of those of us least able to protect themselves, I will NOT COMPROMISE!
