Dutchess legislators contemplate criminal justice, human rights
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POUGHKEEPSIE – After the Dutchess County Legislature zipped through an agenda of routine business during their brief monthly session Monday night, the real action began, on possible future topics related to human rights.
Democrat Legislator Joel Tyner, who usually addresses several topics during the ‘other business’ segment at the end of the agenda, said legislators can look forward to a “Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2018.”
The intent is to follow the lead of recent directives from Governor Andrew Cuomo and he lead of other area counties, on not jailing and requiring bail for non-violent offenders, in most cases.
Tyner is doing it as a local law because, he said, he can’t get anything through the committee process.
“Because you guys don’t allow Democratic resolutions to be on the agenda for committee meetings,” he said.
Tyner said this spills into the broader issue of human rights.
“We are going to make sure that our tax dollars are being spent on companies and non-profits that respect consumers, respect workers, respect the environment and respect human rights.”
During the final public comment period, Jasmin Vasquez of Poughkeepsie picked up that theme, citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted by Eleanor Roosevelt.
“There’s a lot of public support in Dutchess County by a lot of activists of all different grassroots organizations and across party lines to promote human rights,” Vasquez said. “We feel that those liberties that we fought so hard for, generations fought so hard for are going to be threatened and are threatened right now.”
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Human Rights Resolution in Dutchess County
The War Grinds On
The War Grinds On
Each morning begins the same way:
nonsensical verbal rants from Ubu Roi-
retorts in red ink from the “opposition” –
Neanderthal defenses from his paralytic crew
of brainwashed zombies, leavened by cynical talespinners.
Another morning in the America of lies…
so like the Italy, Germany, Spain of lies
we grew up hearing about, witnessing,
dealing with PTSD from, the full catastrophe.
Even were some bloody angel in human form
to rid us of this troublesome clown,
too late! He’s already cloned himself
into a million dwarves, a scintilla of light
like ECT dousing their darkened brains.
So let us recall the Polish wisdom
of 100 years ago:
“The taking of the earth from those
with darker skins or slightly flatter noses
than we is an ugly business
if one looks too closely at it…[but]
it is redeemed by an idea only…”
And Conrad’s imperial irony has morphed
into our guileless and stolid gaze:
Stand well back of these chaotic scenes
and you will notice the grand design:
They’ve brought the war to us, left
us no place to flee or to retreat, given
the gift that keeps on giving:
the struggle, which continues, endlessly.
Port Angeles, Washington USA 21 February 2018
Barry Fruchter
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