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The endangered California Legislative maroon

I have not written about stupid (or just “goofy“) legislation in the California Assembly (or the entire California Legislature) for a long time.

It’s time, once again. :-)

I have written about various subspecies of the California “maroon” that are found on California’s highways. (Note added June 6, 2010: As I mentioned in the earlier, traffic-related article, I use the term “maroon” [a “cartoon term”], because “moron” is a DEROGATORY term.) Tonight I think it is time to introduce a few characteristics of the “GENERIC California Legislative maroon” (certainly not mentioning any specific individuals :-) ), which can sometimes (Note added July 11, 2010: BUT NOT THIS JULY…!) be found in their offices at the State Capitol in Sacramento (usually, they can be found locked up behind closed doors in discussions with the Governor about the budgetary disaster). When I compile my “Compleat Field Guide to the California Maroon,” the legislative subspecies will figure prominently. :-) This subspecies might be “endangeredin upcoming elections, at least in its current habitat, Sacramento.

In keeping with grinding their favorite legislative “axes,” rather than working on the state budget (which, at this point, is certainly more than a “full-time” job) (Note added July 11, 2010: At THIS point, the job is more like “getting out of a HOLE!”) (Note added July 15, 2010: The preceding link will take you to the “Amazing California Debt Meter,” which is spinning at $52 million/day!), California Assembly Members have introduced three pieces of legislation, which demonstrate a lack of understanding of U.S. Constitutional Rights and a recent Supreme Court decision, (Note added July11, 2010: Or an EVEN MORE RECENT one…!) a lack of understanding of American history, and a lack of understanding of environmental science (including both environmental toxicology and predation). If you want to look at REAL environmental toxicology, it has been happening for over a month in the Gulf of Mexico.

These folks don’t need such knowledge.

They have opinions, instead. :-)

The legislative bills, which may see action THIS WEEK,  are:

  • AB 1810 (Mike Feuer D-West Hollywood/Beverly Hills) Long Gun Registration – which would require all rifles and shotguns to be registered at the point of purchase, just like handguns (Hmmm… why don’t California Democrats just switch positions to the historically accurate view of  the Second Amendment? They would win a lot more elections!)
  • AB 1934 (Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego) Open Carry Ban – which would make it illegal to openly carry any unloaded firearm anywhere in the state (Note added July 11, 2010: In view of the more recent Supreme Court decision, this one probably should have been scrapped, rather than passed by the General Assembly!)
  • AB 2223 (Pedro Nava D-Santa Barbara/Oxnard) State-Wide Lead Shot Ban – which would ban all lead shotgun shell loads for bird and small game hunting in California’s wildlife management areas and might be the next step toward banning ammunition in California (Lead shot is ALREADY banned in a number of areas where waterfowl are hunted, because of the fate of lead in anaerobic environments.) (Note added June 6, 2010: Metabolism, and abiological processes, are often quite different in the presence and absence of oxygen, a fact that might be lost on any who slept through science classes. :-) ) (Note added July 11, 2010: This one is just ludicrous, given the naturally occurring toxic substances in California’s environment [you don’t see the legislature clamoring to clean THESE up] and the toxic substances brought to the earth’s surface during the Gold Rush of 1849.)

(By the way, California has naturally-occurring open veins of asbestos coming out of the ground on Bureau of Land Management [BLM] land south of here, if you would like to talk toxicology. We let people ride “quads” and “dirt bikes” in areas that advise the use of industrial grade respirators, because of the asbestos.)

No, I am not making this up. Even with my comparatively good mind, I might lack the imagination to envision such stupid legislation, especially at a time when overall legislative incompetence has resulted in a disastrous budgetary shortfall that has led to the closings of schools and the layoffs of teachers throughout the state.

(Note added July 6, 2010: According to the blog of Assembly Member Curt Hagman, ALL THREE of the above bills have PASSED in the Assembly and are now in the State Senate. Please contact your State Senator and let folks know how you feel.) (Note added July 12, 2010: Just in case you don’t visit Assembly Member Hagman’s blog – he OPPOSED the goofy bills.)

I do not personally know any of the originators of the above bills, or whether they snoozed through American history and science classes. I also don’t know what the FATE of such lawmakers would have been had they lived with such men as Jefferson and Madison at the time the U.S. was formed. I can GUESS! :-)

I DO know that such legislation displays a fundamental lack of understanding of both government and science, and that the continued discussion and passage of such legislation makes California A LAUGHING STOCK in most other states of the U.S.

Sorry, I have lived in other states, and it does.

I am a firm believer in education, but I think that many folks in the California Assembly are beyond education (sadly), since they apparently lack the open minds necessary to make FACTS “stick.”

It seems that the only cure for such folks is to VOTE them out of office.

In the meanwhile, if you know any hunters (who perform some of the roles that would be taken by OTHER animal predators, if they still existed in sufficient numbers), or any “history buffs” who still think that it was a GOOD idea to have had the ABILITY to shoot up the invading British Army at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts (remember, if the colonists had not, we in the U.S. would still be speaking “English” :-) ), you might want to INFORM them of the pending legislation above and ask them to OPPOSE the bills by all legal means.

Personally, I contacted Assembly Members BEFORE I started this blog entry. (Note added July 12, 2010: And you see how much GOOD it did…! :-) Who do these people “represent?” My belief is that they represent lobbies, since TV news a few nights ago said that over half of the bills introduced on behalf of lobbies were enacted into law in Sacramento.)

And remember… all that is necessary for evil people to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

We have SERIOUS environmental and governmental issues that we need to address in California. We require folks in the California Legislature who understand these needs.

-Bill at

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