Thursday, March 20, 2008

Burned at the High Stakes

After the 2007 legislative session concluded, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Rep. Michael Lawlor (D-East Haven) apparently sat down to meet with a band of wiccans to talk about pardoning eleven Connecticut residents who had been executed for the crime of witchcraft in the 1600's.

Apparently Lawlor went under their spell, because the Judiciary Committee is poised to take up a bill doing just that. So, after more than 300 years, these people will finally get justice!

Naturally, we should all be relieved. The General Assembly is finally taking a position on witchcraft, one of today's most pressing issues.

Of course, yesterday, they were unable to pass a bill important to the living relatives of some people who actually died THIS century... specifically the Three Strikes bill. What the Judiciary Committee is apparently saying to us is that the declarartion of innocence for eleven people executed for witchcraft in a time when people believed having a bowel movement was an act of the Devil, and that evil spirits entered you when you sneezed, is important.

But creating tougher standards for rapists and murderers... that can certainly wait.

7 comments:

Clint said...

I believe it IS an act of the Devil when a coworker of mine has a bowel movement...

Headless Horseman said...

Do you work with Michael Moore by any chance?

Anonymous said...

and of course what you failed to mention in this post is that it was a republican senator (roraback) who requested this resolution to be introduced.

Headless Horseman said...

WHich is too bad... there's apparently a number of Republicans who like this bill.

But it's a ridiculous waste of time.

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

>> there's apparently a number of Republicans who like this bill.

Sure - old line Yankees.
While none of the victims are relatives of mine, so far as I know, a few might well be.

BTW Headless - You should like this post.
Defining Forces.

Jerome M said...

I agree that that those initiating this may be seeking resolution in an inappropriate forum - one better used for bigger, more urgent issues. But the witch hunts weren't really about witchcraft. They were about religiously-justified murders stemming from hysteria and panic.

Another facet to this scenario is the precedent that will be set if the initiators prevail - that of true witchcraft not being criminalized. Freedom of religion belongs to all citizens, not just the Christian majority.

Clint said...

Headless....

Your post makes me think of this one:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=c3gTI3_uR40&feature=related