Communist party membership no longer a fireable offense in California

[B.S. Lewis]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/16/usa1">Story

The California Senate yesterday passed legislation that would delete membership in the Communist party as a reason for firing a public employee, a Cold War-era prohibition intended to root out communists.

Democratic Senator Alan Lowenthal called communism a "failed system," and said his bill - Senate Bill 1322 - was intended to protect "the constitutional freedoms that we have fought so valiantly for," including freedom of political affiliation.

"SB 1322 seeks to protect the rights of free speech and political affiliation by repealing the no-longer necessary statute from the books," Lowenthal said.

Republican senator Jeff Denham warned: "the Communist party is not a dead organisation ... and actively repressing human beings in Cuba and China in brutal ways.

"The state has every right to hold school employees accountable for their political standing, especially if that employee belongs to an organisation that favours the violent overthrow of the government," Denham said during the debate on the bill.

But Lowenthal argued, "the communist party does not advocate the overthrow of the U.S. government.

"This is a very conservative bill," he said. " says we must uphold the constitution."

America: where your inalienable rights are protected when violating them is "no longer necessary", and the only viable leftist party defends their bills as "very conservative".

:patriot:



It's interesting that only a British paper, the Guardian, even covers this story. I couldn't even find it in any local California newspaper, yet a major British paper thinks it's international news. Tells you something about how utterly kooky the American political scene looks to everyone else.

One thing I did find by googling: http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/661635">this.

ActionAlert: CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN' Next on school agenda:Teaching communism

I think the California Government officials or whatever people want to call them have really lost their minds! This is not to surprising considering they even want control over peoples thermostats so we dont use to much energy. California is one state that doesnt have parental notification laws for parents to know if their underage daughters are having abortions.

Please help CA parents fight the promotion of communism to their children, by contacting The CA Senators to oppose SB 1322!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. The Communists have been replaced by a whole new set of bogeymen.

And, laws have been passed to "protect" us from them. See the FISA bill for evidence that 'Murka is still the "Land of the free and home of the brave".
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Nevernose]

2. It's still illegal in Nevada

Go to a brothel? Sure.
Be a licensed teacher and register to vote as a communist? A felony.

I mean, I'm not a communist. It just stands to reason, though, that in the "land of the free" I could be a communist if I wanted to. Besides, schoolteachers are way too busy these days doing other things, like teaching self-esteem, not teaching "the basics," and promoting the Homosexual Agenda, to bother with communism.

[B.S. Lewis]

4. you sure?

According to the op article, "California is the only state that allows public employees to be dismissed for membership in a political party."

But maybe they mean that allows *all* public employees, whereas in Nevada it's just teachers? There's also the difference between getting dismissed and being charged with a felony, but I'm pretty sure the latter would lead to the former, so indirectly at least, Nevada also dismisses public employees for membership in a political party (assuming you are right).


As an aside/further comment on the OP article, I have to wonder whether the US government's opposition to communism has historically been so much more effective than that of other governments because it was so carefully done under the guise of the rule of law rather than with blatant force, murder and imprisonment. It certainly seems to be the case.

[Nevernose]

6. The article was wrong -- in Nevada, it's ALL employees

Okay, the felony thing was hyperbole, and the "all employees" is only accurate from a certain point of view (that equal employmeant practices do not apply to communists).

The law, to my knowledge, has never been used, and it is a little confusing because it's scattered across multiple sections.

The governing section is here:
NRS 613.360 Actions permitted against member of Communist Party or related organization. As used in NRS 613.310 to 613.435, inclusive, the phrase “unlawful employment practice” does not include any action or measure taken by an employer, labor organization, joint labor-management committee or employment agency with respect to an individual who is a member of the Communist Party of the United States or of any other organization required to register as a Communist-action or Communist-front organization by final order of the Subversive Activities Control Board pursuant to the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950. (Added to NRS by 1965, 693)

Is there still a subversive activities control board?

The specific law about schoolteachers may have been changed since I last looked at it in the 90s. Apparently the only thing specific to teachers now is that we're not allowed to teach communism with the intent of indoctrination. Or it might be in another location, or I might just be remembering things wrong. It could also be in the NAC (as opposed to the NRS). I don't work in the DA's office anymore, so I don't have access to Westlaw :( Between Westlaw and the Oxford English Dictionary, I was in nerd heaven!

I do know that when you take the Nevada School Law test and when you take the school law class, the admonishment that teachers aren't allowed to be registered communists is very clear. I have an old textbook around here somewhere...

Look around for yourself, if you're interested.
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/law1.cfm

[David__77]

3. Good!

They've been trying this for a long time. It's way overdue.

[readmoreoften]

5. Good. As it should be.

[Xithras]

7. Had the displeasure of meeting Denham once. He's a nitwit.

He's one of the Republican good old boys from the local farm country, and is a great example of what happens when Democrats refuse to vote for blue dogs (he's usually considered a "moderate" Republican, and wins because the local Dem's refuse to run anything but real liberals against him in this conservative district...so we Democrats can't get this guy out even though we're numerically the MAJORITY).

Someone should tell Mr. Denham that communists in the U.S. don't run China. They might also mention that his own Republican buddies have been in bed with those "evil commie Chinese" for years.