Dems, dawgs and civil rights Part One: Can you say. . .DUE PROCESS ? Markos Moulitsas, essayist, blogger, lawyer, political whiz kid, and liberal/progressive/Democratic Party cheerleader now in residence at dKos said a mouthful recently in an essay published in "Cato Unbound": ". . .[T]here’s a whole swath of Americans who are uncomfortable with Republican/conservative efforts to erode our civil liberties while intruding into our bedrooms and churches. . ." Uncomfortable? Man, you have no idea. But where, oh where, are the Dems? AWOL? Case in point follows below. Its a tangled web, but stick with it--there's a prize (not) at the end of the story just for Dems who believe their party is all about civil rights. Vigilante justice in Freedom, Pennsylvania On September 11, 2006, Tammy Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve Better unlawfully removed a dog from his owner's Freedom, Pennsylvania backyard. The exact chain of events leading up to her actions are disputed, but, stating that she was concerned about the dog's condition, Ms. Grimes freely admits that she trespassed and removed the dog. She now refuses to return the dog to his owners, to hand the dog over to the authorities, or to allow them access to the dog. Originally charged with theft, receipt of stolen property, criminal trespass and criminal mischief, at arraignment Ms. Grimes was bound over for trial on charges of theft and receipt of stolen property. Now out on bail, newspapers indicate that Ms. Grimes is next due in court on October 27. Its worth noting that the local chief of police and the local humane society director both indicate that no charges against the dog's owners are contemplated. Investigation of the dog's condition, and hence any wrong-doing on the part of the owners, is not possible, since the prime evidence--the dog--has been taken by Ms. Grimes. Throughout it all, Ms. Grimes was afforded her constitutionally guaranteed rights--including the right to due process we all expect from the U. S. judicial system. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the "animal welfare organization" with an income of roughly $20 million per year has been one of Tammy Grimes most outspoken, steadfast supporters. The dog owners in our story have not fared anywhere near as well. Essentially, they have been stripped of their property (their dog), without benefit of judicial due process. Presumption of innocence flew out the window. Trial by jury, protection from unreasonable search and seizure--all of these benefits of life in the United States have been denied them. Ms. Grimes made herself the sole arbiter of justice, and punishment. In short, she's a vigilante. Presumably Tammy Grimes will appear in court to answer charges and justice will prevail. So why beat up on Democrats? I have two words for you: Joe Trippi Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the money and brains (such as they are) behind Tammy Grimes and her Dogs Deserve Better Inc. organization, went fishing for some political expertise at some point. Guess who they landed.

Yup. And its Democratic Party heavy lifter Joe Trippi's role in the Best Friends Kindness Revolution that's got my panties in a knot. There's nothing kind about denying people their civil rights. What's Joe Trippi doing fronting vigilantes? Its nice that Katie Couric takes his calls, but geez, why pull strings for people who have no interest in the rule of law? Not that Joe, or Tammy Grimes for that matter, is particularly knowledgeable about dangerous dogs or animal legislation, but he's is scheduled to share the stage with Tammy at BF's end-October conference.

Picture it: Joe Trippi will be up there thumping the podium along with a woman whose actions are supported by the Animal Liberation Front. The Animal Liberation Front is characterized by the FBI as a domestic terrorism organization. In his day Joe Trippi worked for Howard Dean--managed his presidential campaign--Walter Mondale, and Dick Gephart. Joe is currently associated with the campaigns of several highly placed liberal Democrats. I wonder what they would make of this legislative proposal that Best Friends Animal Law Coalition is floating to back up what Tammy Grimes did in Pennsylvania: "Any person who has a reasonable belief an animal is injured, in pain, sick or otherwise in need of assistance to protect its health or life shall have the authority to enter upon the property of another for the limited purpose of taking the animal to a veterinarian or otherwise providing emergency care to the animal, provided that, reasonable efforts have been made to report the animal’s condition to the local humane officer and the animal’s owner or custodian. A person offering assistance to an animal under this section shall be immune from civil or criminal liability." Say what? Anyone at all can take my dog off my property? I don't know about you guys, but my civil rights, including due process, are precious to me. They were hard fought, and hard won. I want to see a court order before my property is taken away. I have an issue with "any person with a reasonable belief" running off with my dog. And you can bet I want my day in court. Tammy forgot that no matter now ugly the accusation, we are all guaranteed civil rights in this country. Hellloooo? Joe? Progressive-minded Democrats? Is this the crew you really want to hook up with? Because from where I sit, they're about as unDemocratic as you can get. Since when have civil rights been unfashionable with the Democratic Party? Are Dems so very intent on capturing a demographic that they're willing to remain silent on domestic terrorism? Denial of due process? Weakening property rights? Are vigilantes hunky dory with Democrats? I sure hope not. I live in a Blue State, and I was born to vote Democratic. I come from a long line of liberal thinkers. In fact, I'm a freakin' stereotype. But these are NOT my values.