Idaho legislature
Open Letter to the Idaho Legislature From Human Rights and Business Leaders
Advocates for Human Rights Urge Legislature To Not Retreat On State’s Commitment to CommissionBy Jill Kuraitis, 1-20-10
Longtime chief of staff to former Gov. Cecil Andrus and public policy consultant and writer, Marc Johnson of Gallatin Public Affairs sent this letter today to the Idaho media and others. Johnson told NewWest.Net that there will be more signers to the document, and they will be added here as they become available.
I want to bring to your attention the attached letter signed by a prominent, bipartisan group of Idaho human rights, business, political and religious leaders.
As you know, the Governor’s budget calls for a four-year phase out of state general fund support for the Idaho Human Rights Commission. The Commission, established in 1969, is a tiny agency with a huge mission and, as the letter makes clear, any retreat from state support for its vital functions would be a major step in the wrong direction, impacting Idaho workers and businesses. Signers of the letter include every former director of the Commission, many former presidents of the Commission, former Hewlett Packard executives (the company has long been a strong proponent of diversity and human rights) and a number of leaders of the Idaho faith community. Also, two former governors and a former Idaho attorney general join the appeal.
We expect others to join the appeal that has only been in the works since late last week.
The Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is scheduled to review the Human Rights Commission budget on Friday, January 22 at 8:45 am.
Thank you for your consideration.
Please let me know if you need additional information:
Marc Johnson
An Open Letter to the Idaho Legislature
Forty years ago, the Idaho Legislature determined that it would be the policy of the state of Idaho to secure for every citizen basic, fundamental human rights.
The enabling legislation creating the Idaho Human Rights Commission stated the purpose directly and forcefully. The Idaho Human Rights Commission would exist:
To secure for all individuals within the state freedom from discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin or disability in connection with employment, public accommodations, and real property transactions, discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin in connection with education, discrimination because of age in connection with employment, and thereby to protect their interest in personal dignity, to make available to the state their full productive capacities, to secure the state against domestic strife and unrest, to preserve the public safety, health, and general welfare, and to promote the interests, rights and privileges of individuals within the state.
Now this noble charter and the work of the one of the smallest, but most important state agencies face grave danger under a proposal to phase out all state funding for the Commission. It must not be allowed to happen.
We implore the members of the Idaho Legislature to resist any initiative to reduce the effectiveness of the Commission, to diminish its already scarce resources and to send the most unwelcome and damaging message that Idaho has ceased to place human rights at the absolute forefront of the state’s priorities.
We need not remind Idaho state government that it was not that many years ago that Idaho’s image and reputation was unfairly sullied by the presence in our midst of messengers of hate and ministers of discord. Idahoan’s were united then – and must be united now – in rejecting any assault on human rights. We came together in the past to send a powerful and righteous message that Idaho would not tolerate discrimination and would not give comfort to those who deny basic human dignity to all her citizens.
The Idaho Human Rights Commission is on the absolute frontline in this continuing battle and has been for more than 40 years. For four decades, the Commission has ensured Idaho workers and employers that laws concerning discrimination will be fairly and properly applied. Even demanding economic times must not be an excuse for abandoning the principle that the state of Idaho supports this work both in word and deed.
It should be a priority of the 60th Idaho Legislature to secure for another 40 years and beyond this essential, vital function of state government.
Cecil D. Andrus
Governor of Idaho, 1971-1977, 1987-1995
U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 1977-1981
John V. Evans
Governor of Idaho, 1977-1987
David H. Leroy, Boise
Attorney General of Idaho, 1979-1983
Lt. Governor of Idaho, 1983-1987
Greg Carr, Idaho Falls native
Founder of the Carr Center for Human Rights at Harvard
(Mr. Carr financed the purchase of the former Aryan Nations compound in northern Idaho)
John Hansen, Idaho Falls
Former Republican Idaho State Senator
Laird Noh, Twin Falls
Former Republican Idaho State Senator
Jesse Berain, Boise
First Director, Idaho Human Rights Commission
Former Republican Member Idaho House of Representatives
Marilyn Shuler, Boise
Former Director, Idaho Human Rights Commission
Leslie Goddard and Stephen V. Goddard, Mountain Home
Former Director, Idaho Human Rights Commission
Bob Trerise, Boise
Former President, Idaho Human Rights Commission
Gayle Speizer, Boise
Former President, Idaho Human Rights Commission
Amy Herzfeld, Boise
Ex. Director, Idaho Human Rights Education Center
Richard and Sondra Hackborn, Boise
Hackborn is a former Chairman, Board member and executive with Hewlett Packard
Don and Susan Curtis, Boise
Former Hewlett Packard and St. Luke’s employees
Human Rights Activists
Rich and Georgiann Raimondi, Boise
Raimondi is a former Hewlett Packard executive
Skip Oppenheimer, Boise
Mary Lou Reed, Coeur d’Alene
Former Idaho Democratic State Senator and Founding President of the Human Rights Education Institute
Tony Stewart, Coeur d’Alene
Founder, NW Coalition Against Malicious Harassment
Cherie Buckner-Webb, Boise
Chair, Board of Directors Idaho Black History Museum
The Right Reverend Brian J. Thom, Boise
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Idaho
Rabbi Daniel Fink, Boise
Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel
Dr. Said Ahmed-Zaid, Boise
Islamic Center of Boise
Rev. David Carlson
Retired, General Presbyter, Presbyteries of Boise, Eastern Oregon and Kendall
Presbyterian Church, USA
Will Rainford, Boise
Legislative Advocate for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise and Catholic Charities of Idaho
Sister Carol Ann Wassmuth, Cottonwood
(Sister of Human Rights Activist Bill Wassmuth)
J.D. Williams, Boise
Former Idaho State Controller
The Honorable Bryon Johnson, Boise
Former Idaho Supreme Court Justice
Mike and Arlene Mitchell, Lewiston
Former Democratic Idaho House and Senate member
Bethine Church, Boise
Clarisse Maxwell, Boise
Human Rights Activist and Board Member Idaho Black History Museum
Christine Wood, Coeur d’Alene
Task Force on Human Relations
Joanne Harvey, Coeur d’Alene
Task Force on Human Relations
Ken Howard, Coeur d’Alene
(Participant in the lawsuit that bankrupted the Aryan Nations)
Norm Gissel, Coeur d’ Alene
Attorney and Human Rights Activist
Chris and Gail Bray, Boise
Former Members Ada County Human Rights Task Force
Gail Bray is a former Democratic Idaho State Senator
Lisa Uhlmann, Boise
Co-Founder, Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial
Meredith Carnahan, Boise
Bob and Betty Sims, Boise
Former Dean of Public Affairs, BSU
Community Activists
Frank and Barbara Roberts, Boise
Lyn McCollum, Boise
Joyce Harvey-Morgan, Boise
Former Dean of Extended Studies, BSU
John and Elizabeth Sullivan, Moscow
Mary Hindson, Boise
Mary Clagett Smith, Boise
Henry and Sue Reents, Boise
Sue Reents is a former Democratic Idaho State Senator and IHRC Commissioner
Bill and Jane Lloyd, Boise
Marc C. Johnson, Boise
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When cutbacks are the order of the day, it's understandable that the cost centers with the smallest and/or least-influential constituencies would get focused on - even if they are drops in the big bucket. And isn't that what we're seeing here?
But on the other hand... this letter is signed by a BUNCH of highly-influential people around the state and beyond who are deeply concerned about the issue of "human rights" in Idaho. With so much firepower focused on the issue, the "devil's advocate" asks, what additional clout does a taxpayer-funded state agency bring to the Human Rights Table? For example... does anybody think Reverend Butler and his motley band of Nazis would still be goin' strong, were it not for the State Commission? I'm thinkin' private citizens and private interest groups can muster the troops. (But I'm no expert on the matter, just throwin' out a rhetorical question.)
While the solutions to the budget crisis are not palatable to most of you, there are certain functions of government that are indispensible. And guaranteeing "rights" comes straight from the Constitution.