Homer city council goes into full ‘resist Trump’ mode with resolution
Some Homer residents want to make Homer, Alaska the most intolerant city in the 49th state. A city intolerant of any opposing ideas about what makes a country great. Intolerant of the legally elected president. Intolerant of enforcing the laws on immigration unless the federal government can “document” it has the authority to do so.
They want Homer to be an official “resistance” city, and they’ve got a resolution to prove it.
Read on, it gets better.
On Feb. 27, the City Council of Homer will entertain a resolution that smacks President Donald Trump upside his head for, among other things, being elected without “a popular mandate.” Someone will need to inform the president of this development because he thinks he won 306 electoral votes to 232 for Clinton.
If the resolution passes, Homer will join Dearborn, Michigan’s city council, which this month passed its own resolution rebuking Trump’s travel “pause button” for immigrants from seven countries that have a high degree of terrorism associated with them.
Mild-mannered Bothell, Washington passed a tame, somewhat simpering inclusivity resolution, which was also aimed at admonishing Trump and his base of voters. Other city councils have entertained becoming “sanctuary cities,” but Homer’s resolution would create a sanctuary city without saying so directly.
Sanctuary cities are places where local police won’t detain illegal noncitizens on the federal government’s behalf.
Homer’s resolution says it more coyly: “That the City of Homer will resist any and all efforts to profile undocumented immigrants or any other vulnerable population… the City of Homer will cooperate with federal agencies in detaining undocumented immigrants when court-issued federal warrants are delivered.” (italics ours). That is a sanctuary city by definition.
We’ll summarize the rest of the resolution for you: Homer, Alaska thinks the president is an awful, dreadful little man who is inciting hatred from sea to shining sea, is undoing the Paris Climate Treaty, Obamacare, gender-confused bathroom policies, and myriad other Obama stuff. The Homer City Council will, through this resolution, be joining the nascent “resistance movement,” and will not tolerate either the president or the point of view he represents, which, by the way is nearly 50 percent of the voters in America and a good deal more than that in Homer.
Here’s how Homer voted in November: Homer 1, (District 31-350) voted 433 for Trump to 329 for Clinton. Homer 2, (District 31-360) voted 346 for Trump to 284 for Clinton. We call that a local mandate, but the Homer City Council may be unwilling to tolerate it. We shall see how the council members vote on Feb. 27.
Readers with anything to say about Homer’s proposed resolution, pasted below, may contact clerk@cityofhomer-ak.
gov , or Mayor Brian Zak at mayor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx with their civil opinions.The resolution in full:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF HOMER, ALASKA, STATING THAT THE CITY OF HOMER ADHERES TO THE PRINCIPLE OF INCLUSION AND HEREIN COMMITTING THIS CITY TO RESISTING EFFORTS TO DIVIDE THIS COMMUNITY WITH REGARD TO RACE, RELIGION, ETHNICITY, GENDER, NATIONAL ORIGIN, PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES, OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION REGARDLESS OF THE ORIGIN OF THOSE EFFORTS, INCLUDING FROM LOCAL, STATE OR FEDERAL AGENCIES.
WHEREAS, A new administration is in power in Washington, D.C. without a popular mandate;
WHEREAS, During his campaign, President Donald Trump made statements offensive and harmful to the rights of women; immigrants; religious, racial, and ethnic minorities; veterans; the disabled; LGBTQ citizens; and the general public; and that such statements have continued since his election; and
WHEREAS, The President on numerous occasions has stated clearly his disregard for freedom of speech; freedom of the press; freedom of assembly; and freedom of religion, particularly with regard to Muslim Americans; and
WHEREAS, The President has not disavowed his intention to create a registry of Muslim Americans and now intends to ban Muslims from entering the United States; and
WHEREAS, The President now is following through on his promises to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, including millions brought here as children who have grown up to know no other life than that of an American; and
WHEREAS, The President now is following through on plans to build a wall on the border separating the United States from Mexico without apparent regard to its cost, its effects upon our nation’s economy, or its sociological ramifications, and to impose an ideological test for entry into our country; and
WHEREAS, The President has promised to repeal federal regulations protecting LGBTQ citizens; and
WHEREAS, The President already has issued executive orders to effect the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which provides tens of millions of Americans with health care insurance coverage; and
WHEREAS, The President has issued executive orders to rescind certain women’s reproductive rights; and
WHEREAS, The President has promised to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and to remove other environmental protections instituted under the previous administration, and has begun a process to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency; and
WHEREAS, Before and especially since the election, some citizens have been emboldened to express overtly an intolerance of diversity that is opposed to the views of most Homer residents and most Americans; and
WHEREAS, The President’s cabinet nominees have expressed views similar to those laid out in the whereas clauses above and thus are largely out of step with the attitudes of most Homer residents; and
WHEREAS, The presidential election has exposed deep social and political divisions among Americans and these divisions threaten the general peace as expressions of intolerance rise; and
WHEREAS, The City of Homer recognizes that while the minority community here may be relatively small, it may be vulnerable, and that if those residents feel in any way threatened simply because they are minorities, the City should be on record as opposing all such intolerance; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Homer unequivocally rejects expressions of fear and hate wherever they may exist, and specifically rejects harassment of women, immigrants, religious minorities, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ individuals.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Homer embraces all people regardless of skin color, country of birth, faith, sex, gender, marital status, or abilities; and that the City of Homer will not waver in its commitment to inclusion and to continuing to create a village safe for a diverse population.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Homer will resist any and all efforts to profile undocumented immigrants or any other vulnerable population.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Homer will cooperate with federal agencies in detaining undocumented immigrants when court-issued federal warrants are delivered.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Homer shall steadfastly defend the United States and Alaska constitutions, especially with regard to the former’s precedent-backed right of privacy and the latter’s specified right of privacy (Article 1, Section 22), and safeguard the rights declared in the Bill of Rights.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Homer will continue its staunch support of our local police in their ongoing efforts to enforce law and protect our community and its visitors in a just, unbiased and transparent manner.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Homer will declare itself a safety net for the most vulnerable members of and visitors to our community.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Homer calls on all its citizens to stand against intolerance and resist expressions of hate toward any members of the community, and thus to set an example for the rest of the nation, demonstrating that Homer residents and Alaskans adhere to the principle of live-and-let-live.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Homer City Council this 27th day of February, 2017. CITY OF HOMER
________________________ BRYAN ZAK, MAYOR
ATTEST:
______________________________ JO JOHNSON, MMC, CITY CLERK
Fiscal Note: N/A