Military Civil Rights Needs Your Help
It’s been nearly four weeks since Keizer Senator Kim Thatcher introduced Oregon’s Military Civil Rights Act, Senate Bill 1057. That same week, Albany Representative Shelly Boshart Davis curtailed my Constitutional rights to speech, assembly, and redress by illegally banning me from the state capitol in Salem. Keep reading for a SITREP on 1) Where things stand right now, and 2) How you can help get shit done.
Where things stand
The Military Improvement Association has its eyes on two Oregon bills; Senate Joint Memorial 1 and Senate Bill 1057.
SJM 1 is like an open letter from the Oregon Legislature to Congress, asking the federal legislative branch “Why TF pass HCPA if you’re gonna allow the Executive to not enforce it?” After being introduced by Sen Thatcher , it was reassigned from the Veterans Committee to Rules, where it is still waiting to be scheduled for a public hearing.
SB 1057 is the first comprehensive military civil rights act to be introduced in American history. It has been referred to the Senate Veterans Committee, which has not scheduled it for a public hearing. It is not only bipartisan (Chief Co-Sponsor is Gelser Blouin ), it also already has support in the House (Rep. Levy ).
If nothing happens, both bills will die in committee because, to become law, bills have to be voted on in both chambers and signed by the Governor. For that to happen, they both need to “make it out of committee.”
As Chair of the Senate Committee for veterans, Manning has enormous power to decide which veterans' bills live and which ones die. Manning has already indicated his disregard for other military families; he was the one who kicked SJM 1 back to the Senate President. We may never know why without a public hearing, but I’m willing to bet it has something to do with my reporting on him.
How you can help
Most laws meant to protect military families, like Cal. Gov. Code § 12920, do not get the attention they deserve (as with AG Harris and AB556) and/or are written so poorly so as to be “no law at all” (which is how retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor described VEVRAA in 2007). I wrote Oregon’s MCRA with the most inclusive language I could conjure to protect as many military families as possible. Even if the language could be improved, it won’t matter if anti-military forces keep depriving SJM 1 and SB 1057 of the oxygen they need. Here are two things you can do to support the troops’ access to civil rights:
1. Contact Oregon Legislators
Tell James Manning (Sen.JamesManning@oregonlegislature.gov, 503-986-1707): ”Schedule SB 1057 for a public hearing in the Senate Veterans Committee!”
Tell Kayse Jama (Sen.KayseJama@oregonlegislature.gov, 503-986-1724): ”Schedule SJM 1 for a public hearing in the Senate Rules Committee!”
Tell other OR Legislators (find yours HERE): ”Sponsor SJM 1 and SB 1057!”
2. Host or Attend an MIA Teach-In
I will be offering remote and in-person training on military civil rights, including SB 1057 and SJM 1. You can Attend as dates are announced, or you can Host one and set the day and time that works best for your community. The first is scheduled for THIS SATURDAY, March 15th at 10:00 in American Legion Post 10 (1215 Pacific Blvd SE Albany, OR 97321).
Stand by for event posters and links. In the meantime, please consider contacting the legislators above to give military civil rights the attention they deserve.
We need military civil rights because soldiers, veterans, and Dependents have faced harassment, discrimination, and violence for decades. There are two reasons that you may not already be aware it’s been happening; 1) military families are trained (and very good) at “masking” - hiding discomfort to fit in Continue Mission, and 2) the so-called Free Press is no longer free; ads pay for clicks, not facts. Ain’t nobody gonna change military culture overnight, but what we CAN do is raise the volume and apply public pressure to irresponsible people abusing their political power.
Thank you for your support and I hope to see you at an MIA Teach-In soon!
