dulouz
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Uranus
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 Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:57 am Post subject: Yo crackuh, wha sup whi you? |
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U.S. flag fight puts lawmakers poles apart
Thursday, June 30, 2005
By Bill Toland, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau
HARRISBURG -- During floor debate about homeowners' rights to fly the American flag against the wishes of their condo association, a Democratic representative from Cambria County stoked tempers by saying people who want to fly flags representing other countries ought to go back to where they came from.
Philadelphia Democratic Rep. John Myers took offense, suggesting Cambria Rep. Tom Yewcic is a "cracker," as is anyone who shares Yewcic's opinion.
The hubbub centered on the plight of Clifford G. Hughes, a Moon resident who wants to fly the U.S. flag year-round outside his condo at Forest Glenn. But the condominium association says you can't fly an American flag except on certain holidays.
In response, Rep. Mark Mustio, R-Moon, drafted House Bill 759, which says a condo association "may not prohibit the outdoor display of one American flag, Commonwealth flag or military flag by a unit owner on that unit owner's property," so long as the flag is smaller than 5 by 3 feet.
Some Democratic lawmakers objected to the bill, saying they were skeptical of a law that would force condo associations to permit the flying of a U.S. flag, but wouldn't likewise force associations to allow homeowners to fly, say, a Mexican flag.
Yewcic, in defending the flag bill, said that there's nothing wrong with elevating the American flag above others. "If they want to fly a [foreign] flag," he said, "go back to their ethnic origins and fly it there."
The remark mostly drew jeers, but also quiet applause.
Myers said Yewcic's comments were out of line, and asked the House Speaker, Rep. John Perzel, to admonish Yewcic. House decorum generally forbids lawmakers from insulting colleagues or addressing colleagues during floor debate.
Perzel, a Republican, said Yewcic's comments were OK.
Myers asked whether Perzel's ruling implied that future "derogatory" remarks would also be allowed on the House floor. Perzel said he'd consider such remarks on a case-by-case basis, and invited Myers to test him.
Myers happily accepted the invitation. Referring to Yewcic's "ethnic origins" comment, Myers said, "those types of remarks would come from a cracker."
Later, Yewcic apologized, sort of, saying his remarks were "geared toward being an American, not [directed] toward any individual group." In supporting the bill, Yewcic said, he was "being a patriot in a time of war."
Myers apologized too -- sort of. "I'm sorry for referring to him as a cracker," he said.
The bill still needs approval from the House, Senate and the governor before becoming law. The track record of similar laws in other states is mixed -- some laws have been struck down, but some courts have upheld a condo owner's right to fly an American flag on private property.
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