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ABCDE Let the voters choose


ANINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPER EDITORIALS


California and Florida take a stab at reforming the redistricting process. T


HE BATTLE for Congress is in the spot- light, but both parties are also spending millions of dollars on state legislative races and gubernatorial campaigns. The reason is simple: the redistricting that


will followthe2010Census.Theparty that controls those state positions will determine the shape of congressional districts. It should not be thatway. As then-Sen. Barack Obama explained in 2006,


“too often, our representatives are selecting their voters, as opposed to the voters selecting the representatives. That is a situation that I think the American people should not accept.” Congressio- nal districts gerrymandered into safe seats exacer- bate partisanship and extremism; candidateswho can take the general election for granted and need attend only to winning the primary nomination will inevitablybepushedto the outer edges of their parties.Meanwhile, uncontested general elections discourage citizen engagement and entrench in- cumbents. Again,Mr.Obama: “We should serious-


The carnage fueled by U.S. guns and demand for drugs


Mexico’s massacres


T


IJUANA, one of Mexico’s violence-racked border cities, was supposed to be getting better.Adrugkingpinnotoriousfordissolv- ing his enemies in acid was arrested; a


record cache of 134 tons of marijuana was seized and burned. President Felipe Calderón said the city was a “clear example that the security challengehas a solution.” Then came the massacre. On Oct. 24, gunmen attacked a drug rehabilitation center, slaughtering 13men.That brought this year’s death toll to 639 ina city of 1.5million. The mass slaying was one of three recorded in


Mexico in just five days.OnOct. 22, a gang attacked a teenager’sbirthdayparty inCiudadJuarez,killing 14; the youngest was a 13-year-old girl. On Oct. 27, shooters appeared at a carwash in the Pacific state of Nayarit,where clients of a drug rehabilitation center were working. Some of the workers were wearing T-shirts bearing thewords “Faith andHope.” At least 15were killed. The larger message here is that Mexico is still


embroiled in a desperate fight to save its liberal democracy. Mr. Calderón, who courageously launched a war against the traffickers shortly after taking office nearly four years ago, has been experi- mentingwith new tactics: After anothermassacre of teenagers in Juarez earlier this year, he launched a “surge” of social programs and shifted lead security duties fromthe army to thepolice. Sofar,however, therehasbeenlittleimprovement.


Each time the government declares a corner turned, as in Tijuana, the killers strike again.Official spokes- menused to argue thatmost of themore than28,000 people killedsince late 2006weremembers of cartels fighting eachother.But inJuarez andother cities, the innocent increasingly are targeted, sometimes indis- criminately. This doesn’t mean that Mr. Calderón’s crusade is doomed. As Colombia has demonstrated, it can take


ly consider, on a state-by-state basis,moving away from partisan gerrymandering because I think it discourages the kind of robust debate thatweneed to have. If people feel like this is a 90 percent Democratic district or a 90 percent Republican district, then at a certain point folks start opting out of the process.” Measures on the ballot inCalifornia and Florida


—two stateswiththe least competitive elections in the country — would help fix the problem. Two yearsago,Californiansamendedthestateconstitu- tion to transfer responsiblity for drawing state legislative districts fromlawmakers to anindepen- dent, nonpartisan commission. Next week, voters will consider two competingmeasures.One, Prop- osition 20,would expand the duties of the Citizens RedistrictingCommission to include drawing con- gressional district lines. The other, Proposition 27, would be an unfortunate step in the opposite direction, abolishing the commission altogether, on the dubious claimthat the state can’t afford the


commission because of its fiscal crisis. Shamefully, the state’s leading Democrats are behind the push for Proposition 27; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and 17 other Democratic members of the state’s congressional delegation each contributed at least $10,000 to the cause. In Florida, two ballot initiatives would take a


smaller but still useful step toward removing politics fromlegislative line-drawing. They would amendthe state constitution—a 60percent vote is required — to impose rules on the politicians drawing state legislative and congressional dis- tricts. Under themeasure,districts couldnot bedrawn


to favor incumbents or a particular political party. As much as possible, they would have to be compact and follow existing local and geographi- cal boundaries. You only have to take a look at the current map — the 3rd Congressional District meanders through parts of nine counties — to knowhowmuchof animprovement thatwouldbe.


TOMTOLES


MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2010


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR dletters@washpost.com


Yes, we are like the rest of America Michael Gerson wrote that members of the


military are “not like the rest of America, thank God” [ “Wars we’ve left behind,” op-ed, Oct. 29]. I couldn’t disagree more. The basis for Mr. Gerson’s argument is the lack of attention the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have received in themidterm elections. The public has been more focused on massive unemployment, finding a job and making mortgage payments than on ourwars. True enough. But when I deployed to Iraq in 2006, what I


worried about the most were things going on at home. I got on a plane and leftmywife behind, nine months’ pregnant. The dangers of war were something I signed up to face; during deployments we worried about what most Americans are worried about right now: paying our mortgages, taking care of family and friends in need, and building a solid future for our children. We’re not different from other Americans,


althoughwemay be luckier.Any notion that service members are somehow better than other Ameri- cans is poison for our republic.We have a lot more in common with the American public than Mr. Gersonmay realize.


Jason Belcher, Hampton, Va.


Wrong message on child soldiers This week, the Obama administration had a


choice: Stand with children exploited as soldiers or with the militaries guilty of exploiting them [“Obama grants waiver that allows U.S. aid to continue to four countries using child soldiers,” news story, Oct. 28]. It opted for the latter. Despite claims to be putting the four offending


countries “on notice,” the decision towaive a cut-off of military aid has exactly the opposite effect. The United States has sent a clear message to Yemen, Sudan, theDemocraticRepublic ofCongo andChad that they run no serious risk of sanctions. Other governments have also gotten themessage. Take Colombia, the staunchest of U.S. allies in


South America. Recently, we conducted dozens of interviews with former Colombian child soldiers, including some used as spies by the military. They told us of their long struggle to overcome the trauma of a childhood abruptly ended as they were forced into a life of violence and combat. Thanks to the waiver, the Colombian government now has even less reason to end this human rights violation. Unless the administration reverses its position,


U.S. taxpayers will continue to foot the bill for militaries that turn children into killers. Yifat Susskind, New York


The writer is policy and communications director for MADRE: Rights, Resources and Results for Women Worldwide.


What Mr. Erakat ignored Saeb Erakat’s Oct. 29 op-ed, “Impasse in the


Mideast,” was loaded with provocative language. Clearly, he meant to stir up emotions against the Israeli government and its people, especially those involved in the settlements. There is reason on both sides, but we will never be able to negotiate a just and lasting peace until the rhetoric is toned down. Mr. Erakat stated that “Israeli settlements stand


many years of patient effort to defeat the traffickers. But to persevere,Mexico needsmore help than it is getting fromtheUnited States,which does farmore to help the traffickers—through demand for drugs andsupply of guns—thanitdoes the government. Congresshasapproved$1.3billionindrugwaraid


toMexico—about a third ofwhat it haswasted on a border fence. But it has been deaf toMr. Calderón’s pleas to restore the ban on sales of assaultweapons, tensof thousandsofwhichhavebeentraffickedfrom


the United States to Mexico. Next week California will vote on ameasure to legalize recreational use of marijuana, a measure Mr. Calderón believes will underminehis fightagainst thetraffickerspolitically without significantlyharming their business. Border cities such as El Paso and San Diego are


fortunate that Mexico’s massacres and car bombs have not — yet — spilled across the border. But Mexicans might be excused for wishing that some- thingwouldwakeAmericansup.


‘Mortal Kombat’ for children? A Supreme Court case tests states’ right to restrict sales of violent video games. I


F STATES can prohibit minors from buying Penthouse, Hustler and Playboy, why not “GrandTheftAuto” or “MortalKombat”? That is the novel question thatwill confront


thejusticesonTuesdaywhentheyevaluateaCalifor- nialawdesignedtoprevent juveniles frombuyingor renting violent video games. The lawdesignates agame as violent if it “appeals


to a deviant or morbid interest of minors,” lacks “serious literary, artistic,political,or scientific value for minors,” and allows minors to “inflict serious injury” that is “especially heinous, cruel, or de- praved.” These passages echo some of the language the Supreme Court used to uphold statutes forbid- ding the sale ofpornography tounderage youth. The California law also requires violent video


games to be labeled “18” — meaning that no one under that agemay buy or rent it.Retailers could be fined$1,000perviolation,althoughtheycouldavert penalties if theywere duped by aminorwith a fake


LOCAL OPINIONS


Let’s restore Montgomery’s promise ContrarytowhatyoumayhavereadinThePost,


there is an alternative to the status quo in the race forMontgomery County executive. I am running, andthis iswhy. I chose to raisemy family inthe county because


I believed itwas a place of great promise: a county of safe neighborhoods shielded fromoverdevelop- ment, supported by top-tier schools and a strong employment base. I sense that promise slipping away. Many communitieshave formedneighborhood


watchgroupsorhiredprivate security services, yet they stilldonot feel as safe as they oncedid. Residents in areas near the planned “Science


City” in North Potomac or White Flint face high- density development that will dwarf their neigh- borhoods andbring traffic to a standstill. Our schools’ instructional budget has been


fundedbelowtheminimumlevel requiredby state lawfor two straight years.And Fairfax has handily bestedus inattractingnewjobs. We must commit ourselves to public safety. If


ABCDE


voters reject ambulance fees, any budget adjust- ments Iproposewillnotaffectour first responders. Progress can occur without overwhelming ex-


isting communities. What happened to modera- tion? We must preserve open space and make sure


necessary infrastructure is in place before we build. When it comes to schools, our children come


first.We canno longer afford to spend one of every three education dollars on administrative over- head. Finally, we must grow our corporate tax base.


The first step is to bring professional leadership to our county’s Office of Economic Development. Fairfax knows how to lure top-flight industry.We must followits lead. Together we can restore Montgomery’s prom-


ise. I ask for your voteTuesday. DougRosenfeld,Potomac


Thewriter is theRepublican candidate for county ex- ecutive inMontgomeryCounty.


EUGENE MEYER, 1875-1959 • PHILIP L. GRAHAM, 1915-1963 KATHARINE GRAHAM, 1917-2001


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ID. Parents or legal guardians may purchase these games for their children; the law does not affect adult access and does not prohibit manufacturers fromproducing ormarketing suchproducts. The law has not taken effect because federal


courts in California struck it down, concluding that the state’s efforts amountedto censorshipincontra- vention of the First Amendment. The lower courts held that the more relaxed legal standard the Su- premeCourtusedtoupholdlawsbanningpornogra- phy sales to minors did not apply to violent video games.Thehighcourt shouldreject this analysis. Minorsarenotwithout rights,but their rightsare


routinely and justifiably restricted in ways that would violate the Constitution if applied to adults. Take, for example, legal prohibitions against selling alcohol, tobacco products and, of course, pornogra- phy to juveniles. Opponents of the California law argue that the video game industry’s voluntary rating systemand


its agreement withmajor retailers to enforce a ban onsales of violent games tominors already achieves the state’s intended purpose. But the voluntary system is just that — voluntary — and many small andindependent stores arenot included. Critics also point out that many game consoles


includeparental controls that couldbeusedtoblock violentgames.Thisalsoisanimportant tool,but few would argue that laws against selling alcohol to minors would be unnecessary if every household hada liquor cabinetwitha lock. That isnot tosaythat theCalifornialawisperfect.


Forexample, itdoesnot specifywhois responsible— the manufacturer? the retailer? — for affixing the “18” label to games. And its definition of “violent video game” could be deemed too vague to pass constitutional muster. The justices should give states the flexibility to enact restrictions on video game sales to minors, even if the California law provesunacceptable.


at the heart of an apartheid system whose network of segregated roads, barbed-wire fences, concrete walls, permitsandcheckpoints reinforce the system- ic discrimination and institutionalized violence that Palestinians face under occupation.” But the Pales- tinians need to take responsibility for their own violent actions. The security wall, the segregated roads and the checkpoints all came into being as a result of violent attacks against Israelis by Palestinians. Israelis have the right to defend themselves.


Ellen Schor, Fairfax


Sex education isn’t a federal task Regarding the Oct. 28 news story “Obama


administration launches a sex-ed program”: Since when is it the government’s job to tell our


children about the “birdsandbees,”andhowtodoit, or how not to do it? It is still parents’ responsibility to give the “talk” to their children. The article pointed out the lack of results for the


money spent so far. It seems that we cannot even reach a compromise on what is the best form of sexual education to be taught in our grade and high schools. This must be most confusing to our chil- dren, who need the best and clearest message from adults. The federal government needs to get out of the way.


Ronald L. Baker, Springfield


Double standard in Connecticut Regarding George F.Will’s Oct. 28 column “Con-


necticut’swrestlingmatch”: Mr.Will says that “If voters were allmen,McMa-


hon probably would win.” But “One poll shows Blu- menthal with a 31-point lead among women. This is substantially because of some oldWWE skits featur- ing women in attire and settings not conducive to refinedsensibilities.” What isMr.Will suggesting? Is it thatDemocratic


Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal is not worthy of office because he exaggerated hisVietnamservice, buthisGOPrival,LindaMcMahon, shouldbe givena pass because she objectifieswomen? JamesD.Walker,Pleasantville,N.Y.


Getting oversight right Buried in the middle of Ruth Marcus’s Oct. 27


op-ed, “Annoyer in chief,” was the point that congres- sional oversight is “a crucial function,” and overall, it would be better to “have too much than too little.” Whatever the outcome of next week’s elections, this point bears emphasis. Congressional oversight should not be about


party politics. It should be a vital component of our system of checks and balances, and the means by which Congress ensures that the executive branch is operating within legal and constitutional limits, regardless of how control of government is divided. It should be about congressional power vs. executive power, not Democrat vs. Republican. Let’s hope that whichever party controls Congress


in January, its leaders will conduct vigorous over- sight—andthat they willdoso basedoninstitutional responsibilities rather than partisan gamesmanship. Sharon Bradford Franklin, Washington


The writer is senior counsel at the Constitution Project.


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