Sunday, May 09, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
EDITORIAL: Petitioners arrested
Janine Hansen, an activist with the anti-tax group Nevadans for Sound Government, was arrested and jailed Thursday night while gathering signatures on two petitions at the Regional Transportation Center in Reno.
The petitions seek to repeal the $833 million in tax increases approved by the 2003 Legislature and to require enforcement of the long-flouted constitutional provision which bars government employees from serving in the state Legislature.
Ms. Hansen's arrest comes on the heels of a complaint filed Monday with Las Vegas police and Secretary of State Dean Heller by Ms. Hansen's brother, Christopher Hansen, contending two Nevada Highway Patrol officers, several Department of Motor Vehicles employees, officials with UNLV, and others have prevented the petitioners from collecting signatures.
Secretary of State Heller, the state's chief election officer, issued an order last fall confirming the right of citizens to gather signatures without giving advance notice at government offices. Greg Bortolin, Gov. Kenny Guinn's spokesman, contended April 30 that state officials "in no way will impede" petition gathering efforts.
Indeed, citizens have every right to seek petition signatures on public property at any time, place and manner that doesn't create a hazard or substantially block the flow of traffic. So why are these people being harassed, and even jailed?
In America, the right of the citizens to petition for a redress of grievances is constitutionally protected. That means it's the highest law of the land.
You remember the Constitution, don't you, officers? It's that faded old document that charges you with protecting our liberties -- the reason citizens fund your paychecks.