Do We Have Division or Uniformity in America?

MN US Senator Amy Klobuchar-D

This morning, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar (D) was interviewed by Steve Inskeep on NPR’s Morning Edition news program, and she mentioned that establishing a minimum set of national (Federal) police standards is an idea which many legislators are considering.

Though she mentioned a couple of her senatorial colleagues by name, she didn’t mention if the idea was exclusive or joint to the Senate, and/or the House.

Her pertinent remarks occur at 5:54, and are her final comments in the interview.

“There are so many reforms we can make nationally, to get the information out. One, so we can find out about that we can find out about that policeman’s conduct immediately. I’m calling for a public release of all that data. That will help us to do better, and to hold more people accountable.

Secondly, different standards of police conduct – having a model police standard across the country. We have a – for use of force. Right now, we have a patchwork number of systems; getting rid of chokeholds on the Federal level, all of these. Senator Booker, Senator Harris, leading efforts… I’m putting out a number of proposals out there, and working with them. We’ve already had a bill that we’ve long supported on racial profiling. There are so many things we can do. 

But I think this mobilization that we’re seeing nationally – and for someone like me that’s worked in the system, and has tried to make change – it is hard to do because of the things that Keith Ellison was talking about in that direct interview that you had. It is hard to do, because of where some of the public is. Right now, public opinion is on our side. They have seen the horror of the video, and they are mobilizing across the country, righteously protesting. And we must take the moment, and seize on it on a state basis, and also on a Federal basis. We must do something.”

I think that’s a PHENOMENALLY WONDERFUL idea, because this “States Rights” business has gone MUCH TOO FAR, and having 50 different rules for so many different things is not only unnecessarily confusing, but creates dissension and incoherence in our national unity.

Consider Voting as an example.

Tennessee’s 95 counties EACH have their OWN voting rules, regulations, and laws ranging from hours of operation to location, and more… per the TN State Constitution. Not all states do that, and I don’t know how many do, but… there are 3141 counties in the USA. So you can see how easily discriminatory and confusing it already is. And then, there’s the entire confusing and discriminatory patchwork of photographic Voter ID laws, Voter Registration laws, the restoration of Voting Rights for those who have had a felony conviction and have completed their sentence. And some states think Voting Rights are so critically important and American, that they allow those whom are incarcerated in prison to vote while in prison!

And that’s just ONE example.

There are many, many more matters of genuine concern which create division rather than unity in our nation.

We need Uniformity and common standards across many more areas in this nation to cohesively unify our people.