Eye On Englewood

Link: http://www.EyeOnEnglewood.com

The latest buzz is that America's insecticides are killing valuable sources of pollinators for most of the foods that are harvested. Wasps, characterized as omnivores because they eat tomato cut worms and other garden parasites, are sometimes hard to defend to hysterical children and allergic people. But wasps are like bees and only attack humans in self defense. This explains, however, why they love summer barbecues as well as the company we invite. Wasps can be annoying. But what about bumble bees, and other small bees, like honey bees?

Doug Cohn initiated a "bee friendly city" policy at the February City Council meeting in Englewood, which was well received. His suggestion is to have a list of people who choose to allow wild flowers throughout all the growing seasons to appear in their yards. Especially in back yards. This would mean a change to some of Englewood's codes. It would also mean a change to many people's perspective of beauty and bees.

Theoretically, the people on these bee registries would not be cited by code enforcement for growing certain weeds in their yards. Wild flowers include: dandelions, milk weed, asters, goldenrod, sunflowers, thistles, clover as well as the more popular Russian Sage, Butterfly Bush and Linden Tree.

I wonder what a dandelion garden would look like? Thankfully, all flowering vegetables and flowering fruits also help bees to survive. Because Englewood is an older city, one may readily see apple, apricot, peach, plum, and cherry trees, and raspberry bushes. Because of Englewood's weather, watermelon, tomatoes, cantaloupe and gourds also grow well.

Some people resist the whole idea. They would like to include certain flowers but nix the dandelions for instance. But Paul Hendricks, a bee keeper lobbyist, who lives in Englewood has experienced the extinction of most of his hives. He warns that bees need to eat throughout the growing season, so keeping the flowers and weeds that bloom in a domino effect are important throughout the growing season.

In the winter of 2006 the honey bee population began to die out. Since then, as much as 70% of some bee populations have died as a result of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). But try to imagine life without fruit, vegetables and even grains. Bees are required to pollinate these kinds of food.

When asked, Doug Cohn stated that he believes turning Englewood into a Bee Friendly City encourages the green agenda by eliminating many people's use of poisons over every inch of their property. These poisons are killing bees that are badly needed to pollinate many foods. The poisons also seep into the drinking water.

City Council encouraged Doug Cohn to present his ideas to Keep Englewood Beautiful in order to investigate and implement a working program.

It may be pleasant to have blocks of manicured lawns, but interspersing gardens and keeping brights spots in the yards means healthy pollination for foods for everyone. Roof top gardens are an important feature in many countries. Colorful roof top gardens would do more for green initiatives and the health of those maintaining them, than the expensive experimental solar panels on the City buildings' roof tops.

Link: http://englewoodstory.com

I will go so far as to say this: Everything in a City is grandfathered unless the City is able to prove some license to regulate it.

O, Where O Where doth such a license cometh from?

In Colorado municipalities, they come from Colorado Revised Statutes Title 31, Municipal Governments, michies Colorado free legal which limits powers and are given further boundaries through none other than the Supreme Law of the Land, our great United States Constitution.

These laws clearly state that someone's power, presumed authority or "will" cannot legally over-power or control what rights the law has handed to me already. The mass lynchings are illegal because they are not founded in deference, self-respect or law.

It doesn't matter how much sweaty fervor is passionately invoked or what kind of bribe or slander occurs, if it ain't founded in law, it ain't no good.

Last week in the Englewood Council meeting when Bob McCaslin accidentally, or perhaps conveniently left out of the pre-written invocation, "Help us not to control..." I had to chuckle. Well, it just escaped. I didn't mean to be irreverent. But "arbitrary control" is exactly what this Council loves to do to this fair city by their own elected whims.

But just because they are elected and it is hard to get them unseated, doesn't mean that they have legal rights to presume license over all aspects of residential home lives.

Last week at Council, John Moore played the roll of Mayor and controlled the discussion on Hard Pavements himself. He kept wanting to know what would be "grandfathered" as if Council can simply ignore the City Ordinances and Savings Clauses and has utter authority over the private homes as well as licensed businesses. Near the end of the discussion Moore says, "So what are we choosing to grandfather then? Only gravel?"

Stand Up, people! Where is the Council's license to tell you where or how you can park on your own property?

Once an idea gets passed legislatively, then the full burden of proof rests on one defendant's shoulders, inconveniently cited and hauled to the Judge, to prove that the legislation is unfounded. Since it is the legal duty of the municipal judge to presume the law is reasonable, this individual must have a very strong mind with plenty of time available to find out where the missing links are and present them to the Judge or jury accordingly. If he doesn't have these resources, the illegal law can be established judicially, and then it is almost impossible to over-rule.

So the old maxim stands that all it takes for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.

If you choose not to trust your gut, or defend your right to serve, your right of easement, your immunities, your right to real estate, then you forfeit not only the right, but also the law that governs the right. And if you forfeit the law, you betray your fellow man who depends on that same law.

I was trying to stay one step ahead of myself but now I walk on my hands and don’t look back...

"Though the law itself be fair on its face and impartial in appearance, yet, if it is applied and administered by public authority with an evil eye and an unequal [118 U.S. 374] hand, so as practically to make unjust and illegal discriminations between persons in similar circumstances, material to their rights, the denial of equal justice is still within the prohibition of the Constitution. This principle of interpretation has been sanctioned by this court in Henderson v. Mayor of New York, 92 U.S. 259; Chy Lung v. Freeman, 92 U.S. 275; Ex parte Virginia, 100 U.S. 339; Neal v. Delaware, 103 U.S. 370, and Soon Hing v. Crowley, 113 U.S. 703. Soon Hing v. Crowley, 113 U.S. 703." See, Yick Wo v. Yick Wo v. Hopkins
Submitted April 14, 1886, Decided May 10, 1886,118 U.S. 356.
APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
FOR THE DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

How do we know what rights we have fundamentally? Consider the Privileges or Immunities clause of the US Constitution. One author has then suggested normal people go to the laws of the District of Columbia to see what's fair there. Another suggests that whatever is fair in all the states is fair in your state.

"It is accordingly enacted by § 1977 of the Revised Statutes, that all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States shall have the same right in every State and Territory to make and enforce contracts, to sue, be parties, give evidence, and to the full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of persons and property as is enjoyed by white citizens and shall be subject to like punishment, pains, penalties, taxes, licenses, and exactions of every kind, and to no other." (See Above, Yick Wo)

I was really scared that Yick Wo, the laundry proprietor, would only protect those narrow civil rights laws specifically written, but when I went to read that case it was as clear as the blue Colorado skies that everyone in America has the right to make and enforce contracts, to sue, to be parties, to give evidence and to enjoy the full benefit and duties of all laws and policies and access to government and court, and to remain secure in their persons and property.

Neighbors must work hard to subdue your greed, subdue your bias, and subdue being lazy entitled ingrates. Seriously!

Whatever gets sold out for some selfish or shady benefit today, will come back to bite not only you and your white Englewood neighbors and your white grandchildren, but me and my household too because the rest of us have rights only equal to yours, and then your rights are only equal to mine. You need to stand up like responsible, dutiful adults now. I don't want to take the water slide down with you.

W