The Missouri Diocese of the Episcopal Church USA has approved a resolution opposing Ward Connerly's so-called Civil Rights Initiative. The language of the resolution follows. Thanks to Lawrence George for sharing this information:
J-168 Missouri Civil Rights Initiative
Submitted by Emery Washington on behalf of the Commission on Dismantling Racism
BE IT RESOLVED that this 168th Convention of the Diocese of Missouri go on record as standing in opposition to the "Missouri Civil Rights Initiative(MoCRI)," a proposal for the November 2008 Missouri ballot, attempting to eliminate affirmative action in public education, public employment, and public contracting in Missouri;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED this Convention commends Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and Attorney General Jay Nixon for changing the deceptive ballot title submitted by the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative to reflect the actual purpose of eliminating affirmative action;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED this Convention calls on all members of the Diocese to become informed about the effects of such a proposal and to cast their ballots in conformity with the Baptismal Covenant, the tenets of our Democratic Republic and their consciences;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED this Convention encourages all congregations of the Diocese work to actively oppose the placement of the "Missouri Civil Rights Initiative" on the ballot; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of this Convention immediately send copies of this resolution to the Governor of Missouri, Secretary of the State, Attorney General and both presidents of the General Assembly of the State of Missouri.
RATIONALE
1. Our baptismal creed calls upon us to respect the dignity of every human being. Any attempt to continue to give unfair advantage to the majority is not consistent with our Christian faith.
2. The architects of our republic in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, although they did not always practice what they preached, laid the foundation to guarantee the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to all people.
3. This initiative is deceptive in its intent. It seeks to undermine the attempts by our nation to redress centuries of deprivation to minorities and women since the inception of our nation.4. Every effort to right the wrongs from "Forty Acres and a Mule" to other endeavors to provide a level playing field has been thwarted by de jure and/or de facto practices.
The Missouri Civil Rights Initiative is simply another attempt to do the same.
Ballot Title recommended by the MoCRI Committee:
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to prohibit any form of discrimination as an act of the state by declaring:The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting?
OFFICIAL BALLOT TITLE as certified by Secretary of State Carnahan:Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:1. ban affirmative action programs designed to eliminate discrimination against, and improve opportunities for, women and minorities in public contracting, employment and education; and2. allow preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin to meet federal program funds eligibility standards as well as preferential treatment for bona fide qualifications based on sex?
Official Ballot Language
THE MISSOURI CIVIL RIGHTS INITIATIVE Be it resolved by the people of the State of Missouri that the Constitution be amended:One new section is adopted to be known as section 34 of Article I, to read as follows:Section 34. 1. The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race,sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.2. This section shall apply only to action taken after the section's effective date.3. Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as prohibiting bona fide qualifications based on sex that are reasonably necessary to the normal operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.4. Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as invalidating any court order or consent decree that is in force as of the effective date of this section.5. Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as prohibiting action that must be taken to establish or maintain eligibility for any federal program,where ineligibility would result in a loss of federal funds to the state.6. For the purposes of this section, "state" shall include, but not be necessarily limited to, the state itself and any of its departments,agencies, commissions, boards, and other units; any political subdivision and any department, agency, commission, board, or other unit of a political subdivision; any public institution of higher education, junior college district, and school district; any municipal corporation; and any public corporation, public entity, or other instrumentality of the state or apolitical subdivision, irrespective of the capacity in which the state or any such instrumentality or entity of the state shall be acting . 7. The remedies available for violations of this section shall be the same, regardless of the injured party's race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin, as are otherwise available for violations of then-existing Missouri anti discrimination law.8. This section shall be self-executing. If any part or parts of this section are found to be in conflict with federal law or the United State Constitution, the section shall be implemented to the maximum extent that federal law and the United States Constitution permit. Any provision held invalid shall be sever able from the remaining portions of this section.
http://missouricri.org/ballotlanguage.html
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