...extremism, misinformation, and hate are the problems!
The latest attack on everyday Idahoans from Blaine Conzatti and his far-right GOP cronies has gone public: the same special interest groups banning abortion, banning books, and using their backroom connections in government to ban anything that doesn’t meet their strict moral codes, now want to ban drag shows.
Not surprising, this latest attack, like the critical race theory dog whistle, comes right out of their confrontational politics handbook: use something that is commonly misunderstood or not quite mainstream and infuse it with derogatory images to instill fear in folks that middle America is under siege and your white picket fence will be the next thing to go.
Drag is their newest red herring to attack a segment of the population that they feel threatened by – the LGBTQ community. This fear mongering is harmful and fuels misunderstanding and hostility, which leads to the kind of violence we have seen recently in our community: pride flags being stolen and burned or Boise’s LGBTQ community center’s windows smashed and broken.
People who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender belong here and deserve to live a life free from discrimination and disdain from their government. We must continue to fight back against hateful attacks that prey on people for political gain. We have to expose what extremists are doing and push back against their intentional, far-fetched misrepresentations and replace that with common sense, reason, and a healthy dose of respect for the dignity of all Idahoans.
Drag shows are just another excuse to erode and limit people’s rights. Last session, they tried to jail doctors and nurses for providing gender-affirming care for children under their parent’s supervision – a violation of parental rights. Before that, a bill to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports. Before that, they passed bills to prevent people from changing their gender marker on their birth certificate which resulted in an expensive lawsuit that taxpayers paid. Before that, they rejected 24 hours of testimony and voted on party lines to reject legislation to include sexual orientation and gender identity to Idaho’s Human Rights Act that makes discrimination illegal based on race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, mental or physical disability...
** I submitted this to newspapers as an opinion piece, but most won't print it since they say it's too close to an election.
UPDATE ON ORAL ARGUMENTS
RIGHT OF LIBERTY AND BODILY AUTONOMY
Plaintiff Dr. Caitlin Guftason and Mistie Dellicarpini-Tolman speaking to reports.
I attended the Idaho Supreme Court Oral Argument Planned Parenthood vs. State on October 6; a college and high school student joined me on this historic day where the attorney for the Plaintiff did a masterful job laying the foundation of our right to liberty as an inalienable right which includes one's ability to govern one's own body and determine when and if to be pregnant.
Takeaways from arguments
Plaintiff: The right to decide to terminate a pregnancy is fundamentally connected to all other rights of liberty and the ability to pursue happiness.
“This court has long recognized and the framers recognized that there’s a right to liberty, to secure happiness, to secure safety under the Constitution,” Schoenfeld told the justices. “The question is whether the right to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy is so fundamentally connected to all of the rights that you’ve identified, and whether it is necessary to exercise the other rights protected under the Idaho Constitution,” and goes to “the fundamental ability of women to participate in the life of this state, or whether they be stripped of their civil, political and personal identity by the state Legislature. That’s the question before this court.” Read more at Idaho Capital Sun...
State of Idaho: The rights of the fetus or embryo are more important that the health of the mother.
“The state has exercised its powers to protect the lives of pre-born children,” Deputy Attorney General Megan Larrondo told the justices. “This is a battle that is properly waged at the ballot box. It is not the place of this court to adjudicate policy disputes. Read more at Idaho Capital Sun...
The plaintiff's attorney did a masterful job, while the state merely went on record about their position to ban abortions from the time of conception.
I sat across the table from Rep Megan Blanksma 2 weeks ago. The GOP is feeling the pressure of voters and some of them are, like Blanksma, are trying to back peddle on the legislation they crafted, as she states in this interview and what Rep Crane stated in another interview, that they need to "tweak" the bill and it's often that they don't get things right.
I also take issue with her charged language of "unborn child" and "elective abortion for birth control." Those are crude, misinformed statements that do nothing more than divert attention from the real issue and that's the ability for a woman and pregnant person to control their own bodies.
I disagree! They know exactly what they are doing. I have fought against bill after bill for 8 years where they have carefully crafted policy and not involved stakeholders nor listened to concerns. Those bills are exactly how they wanted them. It is only NOW that they fear being held accountable for the Draconian, harmful stances they have taken.
SJR 102 Constitutional Amendment
I urge your ‘No’ vote in the proposed Constitutional amendment on your ballot. Idaho has functioned well since our state’s founding with a part-time legislature where the Governor can call a special session as needed. If the legislature is given the power to call itself back into session, as proposed by this amendment, we will move closer to a year-round legislature where citizens must be on the watch at all times to protect their interests. In the 3 years since Utah passed a similar amendment, Utah’s legislature has had 11 special / extraordinary sessions. Idaho should not go down this path – it is unnecessary and will prove very costly to taxpayers.
Advisory Question
The advisory vote is non-binding, meaning it changes no laws or statutes. This is a self-serving question, poorly worded to frame the issue positively to allow the Governor to pat himself on the back. The Governor called the legislature back to a special session that lasted one day - Sept. 1. The Legislature passed a bill that created $500 million in tax rebates, lowered the state's flat income tax rate to 5.8% and allocated $410 million toward public education. Reclaim Idaho backed the Governor and the legislature into a corner with enough signatures to get a question on the ballot to fund education at higher levels by increasing corporate income taxes and taxes paid by those earning $250K (filing single) or $500K (filing jointly). So, the Gov called the special session to try to secure funding by bartering with GOP to incorporate a flat tax and enacting yet another income tax rebate that still benefits the wealthiest among us INSTEAD OF addressing property taxes AGAIN.
FEATURED STATEWIDE ELECTIONS
TERRI PICKENS MANWEILLER FOR LT GOVENOR ...
The Lt Gov position presides over the Senate in session. I would love to be recognized on the floor of the Senate by "Madame President," Terri Pickens Manweiler.
THE COLLEGE OF WESTERN IDAHO BOARD OF TRUSTEES ELECTION
The College of Western Idaho is governed by a volunteer, five-member board of trustees. Trustees are elected at large from within Ada and Canyon Counties for staggered, four-year terms, and derive their authority from and hold office in accordance with State of Idaho Code.
They have a great board and we need to keep them there and keep our college safe from extremists who want to take it over and censor public education curriculum.
I’m a community leader with a proven track record of service, in-depth land use knowledge, and smart collaboration on big issues. I’m proud of my record of making streets better for everyone. During my time serving Eagle, I advocated successfully for improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure, multi-modal transportation, safe routes to school, increased public transit access, and agency collaboration to maximize public dollars. READ MORE ABOUT MIRANDA ...
Last Day to Request Absentee Ballot: October 28, 2022
Early Voting Ends: November 4, 2022
General Election: November 8, 2022
REGISTER AT THE POLLS ON ELECTION DAY...
If you missed pre-registration for voting, Idaho law allows constituents to register at the polls with a photo ID, like a driver's license, and proof of residency/address, like a utility bill.
OUT AND ABOUT
I went to Boise State to learn more about the nursing program. They are doing so many great things to support, train and increase the number of nurses in our state! Go Broncos!
I was so blessed by Jodi Peterson Stigers and Curtis Stigers who hosted a beautiful fundraiser at their home for my campaign. It was the same day as the oral arguments about abortion care and this crowd made me remember why we do what we do! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported my campaign for re-election!
GOING DOOR TO DOOR IS HOW TO WIN ELECTIONS
Join us for one of our remaining knocks, because every vote counts!
