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Washington State Civil Rights Initiative
ARCHIVES: Initiative 200
Background, Language, Discussion |
TEXT of the Washington State Civil Rights
Initiative |
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DISCUSSION:
I-200 Background and Issues |
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NEWS Jan. 26, 2004:
Washington Gov. Gary Locke reintroduces racial quotas. |
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ARCHIVES: 1999,
1998 Stories -- The Aftermath, Continued Opposition, Non-Compliance |
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RELATED UPDATE
1-14-03: Michigan Civil Rights Initiative begins collecting signatures! |
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ARCHIVES
UPDATED May 5, 1999: Initiative 200, also known as the "Washington
State Civil Rights Initiative", is now the law in Washington State! On Tuesday,
Nov. 3, 1998, Washington State Voters told their State in no uncertain terms that they
will no longer tolerate "reverse discrimination" and racial quotas!
Washington has become the second State whose voters have outlawed racial
preferences! Be sure to see I-200
Archives -- 1999, 1998 stories about resistance. And the donor
of an illegal, secret $50,000 donation to fight I-200 was finally revealed in April 1999!
Text of "Washington State Civil Rights Initiative"
AN ACT Relating to prohibiting
government entities from discriminating or granting preferential treatment based on race,
sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin; and adding new sections to chapter 49.60 RCW. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF
WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (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 applies only to action taken
after the effective date of this section.
(3) This section does not affect any law or
governmental action that does not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment
to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national
origin.
(4) This section does not affect any otherwise
lawful classification that:
(a) Is based on sex and
is necessary for sexual privacy or medical or psychological treatment; or
(b) Is necessary for
undercover law enforcement or for film, video, audio, or theatrical casting; or
(c) Provides for
separate athletic teams for each sex.
(5) This section does not invalidate any court
order or consent decree that is in force as of the effective date of this section.
(6) This section does not prohibit action that
must be taken to establish or maintain eligibility for any federal program, if
ineligibility would result in a loss of federal funds to the state.
(7) For the purposes of this section,
"state" includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the state itself, any city,
county, public college or university, community college, school district, special
district, or other political subdivision or governmental instrumentality of or within the
state.
(8) 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 Washington
antidiscrimination law.
(9) This section shall be self-executing. If any
part or parts of this section are found to be in conflict with federal law, the United
States Constitution, or the Washington state Constitution, the section shall be
implemented to the maximum extent that federal law, the United States Constitution, and
the Washington state Constitution permit. Any provision held invalid shall be severable
from the remaining portions of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This act shall be known and
cited as the Washington State Civil Rights Act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. Sections 1 and 2 of this act
are each added to chapter 49.60 RCW. |
Discussion: I-200 Background and
Issues
August 23, 1998
Finally! On November 3, 1998 Washington State voters were allowed for the first time
to vote on the issue of racial quotas, racial set-asides, and reverse discrimination!
I-200 allowed the citizens of Washington State to cast their votes for equal
treatment for all regardless of race. |
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The Washington State ballot initiative known as Initiative 200 (I-200) sought to end
racial preferences, quotas and reverse discrimination by any government entity in
Washington State. In other words, I-200 prohibits the State of Washington from hiring,
promotion, and contracting decisions which are based on racial criteria.
Just like the original, unamended Civil Rights Act of 1964 intended. Just as the
U.S. Constitution intended.
According to Associated Press, as reported in Oregon Live on 8/10/98, prior to the Nov.
1998 election, the poll results in Washington State were as follows:
64% of voters are in favor of I-200
25% of voters are against I-200
11% are undecided about I-200
The vocal and wealthy opponents of the initiative included NAACP, ACLU, and, of course,
Big Business in Seattle were all rending their clothes and crying that I-200 would end
"Affirmative Action". Thats not even close to accurate. Washington
States I-200 was actually modeled on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed
racial and gender discrimination. Like Californias Prop. 209,
Washingtons I-200 seeks only to restore constitutional protections against racial
discrimination against ANY race at the state level.
(Note 1: ACLU tried and failed a particularly dishonest tactic to derail the
Washington State Civil Rights Initiative. ACLU tried the "Houston
Strategy", as it is known among the supporters of racial quotas, and it is
as simple as it is dishonest. The "Houston Strategy"
seeks to get the courts, or the legislature, or the applicable ruling body, to change the
language on any ballot initiative which seeks to end racial quotas and preferences to
state that the initiative actually seeks to end "Affirmative Action".
Which, of course, is absolutely false and misleading in the Washington I-200 Initiative:
The I-200 ballot initiative sought only to end quotas and preferences! It
left in place any Affirmative Action and/or Outreach programs which do not use racial
categories. Fortunately, Washington's Thurston County Superior Court Judge
Berschauer saw through the ACLU's sham lawsuit and ruled that the original ballot language
of I-200 accurately reflected the initiative's sole purpose to end racial preferences and
racial quotas. He refused to allow ACLU to mis-represent this important
Constitutional issue to the voters!)
(Be sure to also see: Houston Civil Rights Initiative
for a detailed expose of the dishonest practice of re-wording ballot language in order to
help defeat the ballot!)
I-200, the Washington State Civil Rights Initiative, was a simple exercise of democracy:
put the question to the voters and live with the democratic result.
Analysis: The largest corporations in Washington State
include members of the aerospace industry, the defense contracting industry, the financial
services industries, software and technology firms (including Microsoft), and large law
firms. These institutions were anxious to preserve their "good will" with the
state and federal regulators and contracting agencies, and the businesses which derive
their incomes directly and indirectly from the government! They were not about to
support I-200 since the use of quotas and preferences is such a sacred cow among
government agencies and procurement officers.
Quick Review of the I-200 Opposition:
(a) The Local, State, and Federal
Governments. Face it, gov't agencies are populated by "career
bureaucrats" whose main job is to keep their job! For the most part they were
NOT about to question the "racial quotas" required by their gov't employer!
Remember also that the rulings and decisions these career bureaucrats made every
day carried the weight of law, and the law (before I-200) was "racial quotas".
(We weren't allowed to vote on that "law", though, were we?) These
tax-supported bureaucrats continue to have a huge amount of financial and political
influence over the voting behavior of the "private sector" (businesses) and the
"private citizen" (employees of those businesses).
(b) The aerospace, defense, software and
technology industries are significant employers in this region and they are
heavily regulated by the government INCLUDING federal and state requirements that these
industries practice racial quotas and preferences!
Remember that Bill Lann Lee and the Clinton Justice Department hold a "sword of
Damocles" over these employers! Lee and the Justice Department have a
well-established track record of strong-arming non-compliant employers into hiring the
right numbers of the right racial groups! The not-so-veiled threat: "Mess
with our quotas, and we will tie you up for YEARS in court, and that will be VERY bad for
your business."
(c) The financial services industries
(banks, investment firms, and insurance companies) ALSO are heavily regulated by the
local, state and federal governments and, in this part of the world, these firms ALSO
depend in substantial part on business derived from government, either directly or
indirectly.
Here's a short list of companies and
organizations that formally weighed in against I-200.
A
Territory Resource |
"A
Territory Resource" is a non-profit foundation with very strong ties to the pro-quota
movement and to liberal politics. The Washington Public Disclosure Commission is
investigating the foundation for illegally contributing a 'secret' $50,000 donation to
oppose I-200 |
ACLU |
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Boeing |
Boeing is
a major employer and defense contractor in the Upper Northwest. Boeing management
paid $50,000 to oppose I-200 in order to please their federal contract officers. [See also: Adversity.Net Case 33 - Boeing
Reverse Discrimination.] |
Paccar |
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Puget
Sound Energy |
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NAACP |
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Nordstrom's |
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U.S. Bank |
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Urban
League |
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Washington
Mutual |
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Washington
Water Power |
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Many
Seattle Law Firms |
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If you supported I-200, you are urged to boycott these businesses and organizations.
For example, if you have bank deposits or loans with a branch of U.S. Bank (any
branch, in any state!), it is recommended that you transfer your accounts to a bank
that believes in equal treatment for all regardless of race! And let the bank
President know why you are moving your accounts!
Who supported I-200?
As of September 1998, (before the vote) 64% of Washington State voters supported
I-200! These supporters are individual citizens (individual voters who are the only
legitimate owners of this state!) who recognize that the Constitution itself prohibits
racial quotas and preferences, and they believe that their democratic representation has
been denied them on this issue. These citizens clearly see that up until this time
they have never been allowed to vote directly on whether their State and Local Governments
should be allowed to practice "reverse discrimination" and/or to enforce
"racial quotas".
These are the voter-citizens who overwhelmingly voted in favor of I-200 this November in
Washington State.
According to the American Civil Rights Coalition, support for I-200 was surprisingly
widespread among unexpected constituencies:
Voting Group: |
Exit Poll
Support for I-200: |
Republicans |
80% |
Independents |
62% |
Conservatives |
78% |
Moderates |
52% |
Ages 18-64 |
57% |
Ages over 65 |
57% |
Labor Union Members |
54% |
Democrats |
41% |
Supporters of liberal
Democratic Senator Patty Murray |
43% |
Persons who voted for
Clinton |
40% |
I-200 ARCHIVES: 1999 and 1998 stories. The voters approved it, but the Washington
State government, aided by the Federal Government, and special interests continued
fighting it! Also, in April 1999 the source of the illegal, secret $50,000 dontation
to fight I-200 was revealed! See: I-200
Archives! |
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Be sure to see Jan. 26, 2004 update: Gov. Gary Locke is attempting to reintroduce
quotas, wants to "tweak" I-200!
END: I-200 MAIN Archives |