[Vision2020] Walmart racism suit in Lewiston

[Debbie Gray]

Ironic in the same week that nine Idaho legislators
vote against the human rights resolution (story below
from Spokesman Review, 2.6.07 by Betsy Russel)... I
guess if we'd just ignore these things, they'll go
away?

House backs human rights
3 N. Idaho legislators oppose resolution

BOISE – A resolution declaring Idaho legislators'
support for human rights passed the House
overwhelmingly on Monday, but nine members voted
against it – including three from North Idaho.

Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, said North Idaho
doesn't need any reminders that it once was home to
the Aryan Nations hate group.

"I just think there's a group of people 
 that like to
keep sore wounds opened up," Nonini said after the
vote. "Those people (the Aryan Nations) have gone away
– we don't talk about it in North Idaho."

Reps. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, and Phil Hart,
R-Athol, also voted against the measure, HCR 8.

"I thought it was a crummy bill – we already got all
that stuff in there," Harwood said. "It was just a
feel-good, fuzzy thing."

Hart said, "I don't think in general we have a problem
here. I think it's just a few isolated groups. 
 I
think if we just ignored it, it would go away, in my
opinion, in time."

Norm Gissel, a longtime board member of the Kootenai
County Task Force on Human Relations, which stood up
to the Aryan Nations for decades, disagreed. "Once we
were asked that very same thing – isn't the task force
being too loud and too aggressive, and wouldn't it be
better for all of us if we were silent and less
expressive in our opposition to the Nazis?" he said.
"I can't find a single example in the history of
racism where it benefited anybody to be quiet about
it. 
 You have to have public discourse about it."

He added, "The advocates for silence I think are good
people, but I just think tactically and strategically
they're wrong."

The resolution's sponsor, Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow,
said, "I just thought it was a good time to stand up
and say, 'Let's pass a resolution backed by the
Legislature to commit to the rest of the state and the
world that we adhere to the Idaho Constitution and
what both of our party platforms outline as protection
of human rights.' It's almost like renewal of wedding
vows. I think we have to do the same thing in terms of
human rights."

The measure states that the "Legislature of the state
of Idaho is committed to principles of human rights
and recognizes the unique value of the human character
in its great diversity and wealth of variety."

It notes that Idaho created its Human Rights
Commission to enforce legal rights to be free from
discrimination and that the "citizens of Idaho have
endured an unwarranted, unfavorable barrage of
publicity related to certain opinions held by a small
minority of persons who claim Idaho as their home, but
whose opinions we strongly denounce."

Rep. Lenore Barrett, R-Challis, objected to that part,
saying that while she guessed that probably referred
to the Aryan Nations, people are entitled to have
whatever opinions they want.

Rep. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, said that section was
too vague. "Sometimes when things are stated in a
vague fashion, we risk saying nothing or offending
everyone," she said, although she then voted for the
resolution.

Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, objected to the
reference to the Human Rights Commission enforcing
laws against age discrimination. "Employers should be
able to have that free hand to decide if they want
somebody older or somebody younger," Nielsen declared.

Two House members who are attorneys quickly objected,
noting that age discrimination in employment is
prohibited by both state and federal law. Those laws
were enacted "a long time ago, I can tell you that,"
said Rep. Les Bock, D-Boise.


 
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