[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

At the time of the adoption of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, the use of firearms in hunting was far more than a sport. In the West, it was the main source of meat. A rifle was as much a part of the frontiersman’s kit as an axe. State militias, not a standing army, served the nascent nation’s security (West Point was established later, in 1802). But states provided training, not firearms.

As such, it is ridiculous to read the Second Amendment as saying only militia’s have the ‘right to keep and bear arms.

The only reason to question this view is an obscure and confusing 1939 US Supreme Court seemed to suggest something different, that perhaps only when serving in a militia did Americans have the right to “keep and bear arms”.

This silly argument has been used as the bugaboo of groups like the N.R.A. for years – as follows: If the right to own a gun is only collective, limited to militias, then gun control laws could be passed that grab your gun. In fact, every gun control law passed is just a step in the direction of confiscation. So (to twist logic) every gun control law must be resisted to avoid confiscation. Oh, and send us a lot of money for that fight.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

California Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sally Lieber has sent a letter to her colleagues indicating she plans to introduce legislation when the legislature reconvenes in January that would require the adoption of regulations for tugboat escorts for vessels carrying hazardous materials within California’s harbors.

Lieber references a bill by Senator Byron Sher in 2004, SB 1480, which would have authorized escorts and which was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. The bill Lieber is introducing would require it.

Governor Schwarzenegger's veto message at that time stated:

"Protecting public safety and the environment from a potential spill of hazardous material is of paramount importance. California must do all it can to minimize the possibility of such a disaster. However, there are neither ship design issues nor a pattern of problems suggesting these vessels need tugboat escorts. In fact, since the creation of the Office of Spill Prevention and Response, there have been no reported harbor accidents involving ships carrying any of these materials.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Brad Parker

On July 15th, 2007 the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party passed the following resolution in favor of Net Neutrality and affordable high speed Internet for America.

The adoption of this resolution was made possible by the unprecedented cooperation of both the Labor Caucus and the Progressive Caucus of the CDP. Working together over the months following the CDP convention in San Diego, representatives of both caucuses, led by Jim Gordon, chair of the Labor Caucus and Brad Parker, officer of the Progressive Caucus, were able to craft a resolution that addressed the concerns of both groups and Americans as a whole. Once again, after 100 years of organizing and political activism, Progressives and Union members have found common cause. Our hope is that this resolution will become a blueprint for legislation across the country that preserves Internet integrity with open, equal and impartial access and Net Neutrality. Further, that the build out of high speed Internet be undertaken as a public utility maintained by union members bringing affordable broadband Internet access to all Americans.