Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Arnold Schwarzenegger? More like Benedict Arnold..

Two letters to the editor in Capitol Weekly, seem to summarize public sentiment (and frustration) about the state of affairs in government, from the local level to the governor himself.

Schwarzenegger’s statement in the letter to the editor below:

“the voters do not have jurisdiction over the agreement, because it was not legislation but a deal between two sovereign governments"

So because they are two sovereign governments - I guess the Governor is not in violation of the Brown Act. There is a word for what he is doing though. Treason.

"In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or nation."


Letters to the editor (of Capitol Weekly)
By Capitol Readers (published Thursday, November 29, 2007)

Dear Editor,

It is high time for elected officials to brush up on their oaths of office, take a U.S. Constitution refresher course and be reminded who they work for. Special interests seem to be garnering all the attention these days, but what about the People of California?

Governor Schwarzenegger’s recent filing in federal court, as reported in Capitol Weekly on Nov. 22, supporting the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ claims that “the voters do not have jurisdiction over the agreement, because it was not legislation but a deal between two sovereign governments,” is a stunning example of the arrogance of our governor.

Why would our governor subvert a vote by the people?

The backroom nature of these deals might have something to do with it. Agua Caliente Chairman Richard Milanovich finalized his compact with our governor at a Napa resort and had this to say about cutting his deal: “Governor Schwarzenegger, number one, is a businessman, and what we did was a business deal. He was smoking a cigar when we reached an agreement.”

Local and state governments are increasingly using government-to-government “privilege” to elude public involvement. This practice is an outright abuse of the intent of a federal directive that was given to federal branch agencies only, and growing legal opinion would argue that it violates the 14th Amendment securing equal protection of the law. Gambling compacts are not treaties. They are contracts between casino tribes and the People of California.

Here’s the refresher course for our elected officials. The first three words of the Constitution are “We the People.” There is no royalty claimed here. More concretely, the basic principle of government is that it derives its power from the consent of the governed. Don’t you need our vote to have our consent?

The governor’s attempt to keep these referendums from the voters only further erodes the ability to enforce our Constitutional contract with our government — the ultimate in political accountability.

Kathryn Bowen,
Santa Ynez


AND

Dear Editor,

On Nov. 22, James Lynch wrote a commentary challenging the legitimacy of the Santa Ynez Band of Mission Indians as a “federally recognized tribe” and its “reservation” as a properly recognized “federal reservation” (Capitol Weekly, Commentary).

Lynch’s article discusses one “tribe,” but in all probability many, if not most, of the casino “tribes” fall into this same category. They have been fabricated and engineered by greedy politicians and crafty attorneys. These politicians, our representative government, ignore the tremendous negative impact and prostitute the casino-hosting community for favors by the casino “tribes.”

In Santa Barbara County, they grovel. Just look at the recent resolutions by Assemblyman Pay-dro Nava and Third District Supervisor Crooks Firestone, passed without any opportunity for public comment, to get a taste for the backroom deals going on to cleverly market the Chumash Casino.

As our Legislature sells out its constituents for gambling dollars, it is also empowering these fabricated casino “tribes” to become more and more brazen in their demands to be treated as “sovereign nations” and “sovereign governments.” Politicians are loving this government-to-government deal-making with these tribal governments, as it is a means to circumvent public knowledge and participation.

This is happening all over the country. The few non-politicians in the public who believe there should be some accountability by our representative government watch this scam with dumbfounded amazement and fight with private lawsuits, petition signings and fund-raisers to protect the Constitution and the communities that they love so much.

And what do they get for their efforts? They are called racists for not agreeing with the expansion of these fabricated tribal governments functioning outside the U.S. Constitution and destroying their communities with their self-regulated gambling operations and unenforceable tribal-state gaming compacts.

Will the real representative please stand up and do something?

Kathy Cleary,
Los Olivos

3 comments:

Unknown said...

This is interesting isn't it? Arnold making back door deals with gaming tribes is a little like him deciding to sell the Channel Islands to the Japanese.

sosumi said...

Greetings SMP,

It is at least curious. I thought that negotiating with sovereign nations was a federal government task, you know... ambassadors, diplomats.

Meeerkat said...

I understand Arnold is in dyalysis I guess his blood gets pumped with Indian blood, addicted to receive the blood of corruption and money from gambling - acts of self destruction. The problem is that sick people should refrain from mentoring others. Arnold is a sick bastard. If only his wife could pull the plug from the dependancy of bad money to California. The transfusion from INDIAN BLOOD makes him an Indian, no longer an Austrian or an american but a traitor who is not honest about the truth about his health or the well being of the people he claims to represent. He knows down deep that he has lost his identity, merely as an actor, he sides to whoever pays him for his transfusion. Arnold is making California a gambling nation and the money he receives allures the sick. He will never succeed feeding from another nation who only has revenge in the streams of their blood. We should all have equal rights and stay healthy avoiding the compulsion of depend on others own disease. The ride to riches and the Indian bus is the ride to their own hell. Think and rebell from the ignorance and unveil the corruption of legislators who profit from sovereign nations. We are giving power to the people who have money and no integrity. The Indians have enough money now and the justice to them has only depleted the self preservation of a nation who should stand one together and fight for working in an honest evironment. Time to go to war and for Arnold to tell everyone from whom he receive blood. Fight against the tyranny of money. I rather be poor than sick, I RATHER GO TO HEAVEN.