The Ohio Gestapo…

Hammer Of Truth
Dec. 22, 2005

Bad news:

The Ohio Patriot Act has made it to the Taft’s desk, and with the stroke of a pen, it would most likely become the toughest terrorism bill in the country. The lengthy piece of legislation would let police arrest people in public places who will not give their names, address and birth dates, even if they are not doing anything wrong. (NewsNet5.com)

I am truly speechless… Ohio? Are you awake? It was reported that there was public pressure… but apparently not enough:

Despite mounting pressure from the public, the amended bill passed the House in a vote of 69-23. It was then sent to the Senate to approve amendments made by the House. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 29-2 and will now be sent to Governor Taft. (ACLUOhio.org)

Governor Taft is expected to sign-off on this legislation today… Maybe you can persuade the Governor to kill this piece of… legislation by sending him a message here:

» Contact Governor Bob Taft

Update by Stephen VanDyke: Taft is a lame duck with an approval rating of only 6.5% (that’s not a typo). I’m betting this will be signed into law since he has nothing to lose and probably wants to punish Ohio on his way out of office.

Update by Mike Horn: Some other components of the “Ohio Patriot Act“:

…makes it a misdemeanor to witness a crime and refuse to give certain information to authorities. It also requires finalists for state and local government jobs to answer questions regarding potential involvement with terrorism organizations, and expands the authority of security workers to check IDs in transportation hubs such as airports and train stations.(Cleveland.com)

Another Update by Mike Horn:
Libertarian candidate for Governor of Ohio Bill Pierce gave his position on the “Ohio Patriot Act.”

Dear Governor Taft:

I urge you to veto SB 9, “The Ohio Patriot Act.” The bill is redundant, cumbersome, and unnecessary.

It also has some very serious problems. It moves the State toward a regime where residents are required to carry an ID card at all times and present it to any person in authority on demand. It treats all immigrants as though they were under suspicion of terrorist activity and converts the law enforcement system of Ohio into a junior partner of the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The bill would also require many Ohioans to answer a question about terrorist affiliations that evokes the era of Senator Joseph McCarthy, “Are you now, or were you ever, involved with any group on this list…?” The comic stupidity of expecting the terrorist to declare his intent on a license application would set back Ohio’s efforts to be taken seriously in the modern world.

For the sake of Ohio and its residents, please veto this bill.

Sincerely,

Bill Peirce
Professor Emeritus of Economics, CWRU
Libertarian Candidate for Governor of Ohio