by Kerry Thomas
January 21, 2008
The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday
was supposed to make people aware of the historic fight for racial equality,
and bring an end to discrimination.
In principle, ending discrimination sounds like a noble
goal. Too bad we, as a society, don’t
practice what we preach.
Discrimination is alive and well, and has been codified into
law numerous times here in Wisconsin.
And we have politicians of both political stripes chomping at the bit to
enact even more discriminatory laws.
We say society shouldn’t discriminate against anyone on the
basis of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or on any other basis. Yet, we, as a matter of law, discriminate
against people here in Wisconsin on all these bases.
We discriminate on the basis of race when we allow people of
one racial heritage to engage in a business operation, while we prohibit people
of any other racial heritage from operating those same businesses. How else can you possibly explain why only
Tribes are allowed to operate casinos in Wisconsin?
I have personally been discriminated against on this very
point by the State of Wisconsin, which refused to even allow me to apply
for a license to operate a casino, simply because I am not a Member of an
Indian Tribe.
We discriminate on the basis of creed when we forbid those
whose traditional religious practices include the ingestion of mind-altering
substances from ingesting those substances.
It has long been a practice of certain indigenous peoples to ingest
mind-altering substances, as a part of their religious practices, in an attempt
to grow in spirit, to achieve a greater awareness of the world in which they
live, to grow closer to their god. Yet
we forbid this practice, in an effort to “protect” these practitioners from
themselves.
There are also religions (some of which even pre-date
Christianity) where polygamy is a standard practice, in an effort to produce
many children. Yet, here in Wisconsin,
such religious practices are not legally recognized.
We discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, through
Wisconsin’s enactment of the “sanctity of marriage” amendment (see Section 13
of Article XIII of the Wisconsin
Constitution). By enacting this
poorly worded amendment, the People of Wisconsin said it was okay to openly
discriminate against consenting adults, because their sexual practices offend
the sensibilities of a majority of the population.
The First
Amendment to the United States Constitution says we shall not make any law
prohibiting the free exercise of religion.
In the Catholic religion, marriage is a sacrament. Other religions generally revere marriage in
a similar light. Marriage is
fundamentally a religious institution.
If any religious body chooses to instill the blessings of marriage upon consenting
adults, it is a case of discrimination not to recognize that union, simply
because it does not fit neatly into the traditional picture of “marriage.” (Can you say Mormon?) To deny these people legal rights afforded
to married people, on the basis that theirs is not a “traditional” marriage, is
discrimination.
There is a big effort now to discriminate (even further) against
those in our society who choose to smoke.
Tobacco remains a legal product (for now) to both possess and use. Yet, members of the public are prohibited
from using this legal product in many public places. Wisconsin just raised taxes smokers pay for cigarettes by 129%,
while at the same time the Democrat Governor and the Democrat-controlled State
Senate are considering banning the use of tobacco statewide, including all
private businesses.
Public property is owned by all of us, including
smokers. That’s one of the risks you
take when you put property into public hands.
All members of the public own the property, and are entitled to
an equal use of that property.
And the last time I checked, not one single person has ever
been forced to set foot inside any private place of business, either to apply
for a job there or to conduct business there.
The way I view this, if you don’t like cigarettes, don’t go to places
where they’re sold or used. You have
that Freedom; why not preserve that Freedom for business owners, too.
The Freedom you are so willing to take from others may one
day be taken from you.
People often say that they might not agree with what someone
else has to say, but they’re willing to fight to preserve that person’s right
to say it. The same principle applies
to cases of legalized discrimination.
Somewhere along the way, people were not willing to stand up and defend
the rights of a minority of the population, and a Freedom was lost as a result.
Political winds blow strong, and often change
direction. When a government is allowed
to usurp the Liberties of a segment of the People, it will one day usurp your Liberties,
too.