EL SEGUNDO HERALD February 22, 2018 Page 19
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Politically Speaking
Congress Finds a New
Target to Attack
By Cristian Vasquez
In all honesty I never thought that Congress
would come out one day and pass legislation
attacking people with disabilities, but the day
has come. The House of Representatives passed
the ADA Education and Reform Act with a
225-192 vote. In essence, this act would require
people with disabilities to provide a written
notice that a business does not provide adequate
access to persons covered under the American
With Disabilities Act. Through this law, for
which there is no version of in the Senate yet,
a business would have 60 days to respond to a
written complaint, as well as another 60 days
to actually begin improving their location to
accommodate people protected under the ADA.
For 28 years, the ADA has ensured that the
public is protected from discrimination “on the
basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment
of the goods, services, facilities, privileges,
advantages, or accommodations of any place
of public accommodation” -- Title III/Specific
Construction of the ADA. Why then, does the
House of Representatives find it necessary to
make this modification? Current and potentially
new business owners already know some of
the basic requirements (access ramps, modified
restrooms, etc…) set by the ADA, so they do
not need a written notice. Requiring people
with disabilities to give a written notice shifts
a business responsibility from the owner to the
public for no good reason. Supporters of the
bill argue that this will keep money-seeking
lawyers from filing frivolous lawsuits against
local businesses for ADA violations, hence
saving the business money. Well, you know
what else would save the business money? If
they just complied with the ADA requirements.
They’ve been in place since 1990. How much
more of a warning do you need? Are these
accommodations expensive? Yes, they are, but
we are at a point where these accommodations
are part of the business expense. They aren’t
surprise requirements.
The amendment also requires that a model
program to “promote alternative dispute resolution
mechanisms to resolve such claims” be
created in order to have a method to determine
“relevant facts related to such barriers.” All
this was done with the “goal” of resolving an
accessibility issue before resorting to litigation.
So not only do these amendments give
business owners a way out of complying with
ADA requirements, but they place the unnecessary
burden of proving that a business is not
complying on the people who are supposed to
be protected by the ADA. If they are lucky,
people with disabilities will see modifications
begin happening 120 days after their complain.
That’s if the model program doesn’t kick in
to continue stalling.
There is no need for this amendment. The
ADA requirements have been in place long
enough. Maybe some corporate donors become
a little more generous and are looking forward
to future projects where they can skip meeting
these ADA requirements. Or maybe Congress
has just really does not care about people. It’s
anyone’s guess. Fortunately, you don’t have
to guess who voted for this amendment and
can see the full list at https://www.govtrack.
us/congress/votes/115-2018/h80. •
Mass Murder in Parkland, Florida: How
the Heck Do We Keep Our Kids Safe?
By Duane Plank
So last Wednesday probably started as
a typical school day in Parkland, Florida.
Groggy students and parents awoke, ran to
their phones to check what they had missed
on social media (nothing, you addictees), then
maybe had a bit of breakfast, and finally raced
off to school and work.
Parents dropped the kids off at school, cuz
God forbid a kid would actually…walk to school.
It was Valentine’s Day, so some of those
young folks may have exchanged the little
cards or trinkets that the people trying to sell
stuff -- so help me, Hallmark -- shame us into
buying on those special days.
Anyway, you drop your kid off in that
Richie Rich neighborhood and another ho-hum
midweek day commences.
And then you hear about an “active shooter”
at your child’s high school. And your child
doesn’t come home. Ever. Can’t fathom that,
as a parent. A few years ago, there was carnage
in Isla Vista -- a party town bordering
UC Santa Barbara, where my son graduated.
Was frantic to hear from him. As a kid, he was
not necessarily going to check in with Mom
and Dad. Fortunately, he was not involved.
He was okay.
Before he was assassinated, President John
F. Kennedy posited that if someone wanted to
take him down, there was basically no cover
and that he wasn’t going to worry about it.
Said JFK: “If someone wants to shoot me
from a window with a rifle, nobody can stop
it, so why worry about it?”
Unfortunately for America, his words
were prescient.
There is no way to stop a man or woman
who doesn’t care if they themselves die from
slaughtering innocents. Tighten this up, tighten
that up, take away the guns. Won’t matter. How
is the security at your place of employment?
Bet you have no clue -- and if you asked
whomever is allegedly in charge of that, they
will obfuscate, or mumble platitudes. Lie. Or are
probably distractedly looking at their electronic
device as they allow darn near anyone with a
backpack to enter the workplace.
I have no solutions to the carnage that keeps
occurring in our schools. If I did, I would forward
them to the obviously overmatched folks
working at the FBI who have wasted a ton of
your dollars looking for collusion in an election
that was over more than 16 months ago.
Apparently Special Counsel Bob Mueller,
after spending a ton of our money, now said
a bunch of Ruskies tried to influence our election.
Yet we, as Americans, have been trying to
influence elections in other countries forever.
So the other team does the same thing. We
used to assassinate foreign dictators before
they and their murderers could get to us. We
should still have that policy in place. May
have mitigated 9/11.
Saw a commercial recently and nearly teared
up. Not sure which branch of the military was
represented, but the crux of the powerful message:
“To get to you, they have to get through
us.” Maybe some of those brave folks need
to be deployed in-country to protect us from
lunatics like the Florida murderer -- a deranged
soul with a big rifle. •
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Marinated Garlic and
Lemon Roasted Chicken
Recipe provided Nestle’s Balance Your Plate
1. In a bowl, mix together lemon juice, zest, olive oil, chopped garlic, paprika, oregano,
salt and pepper. Add chicken drumsticks and toss to coat evenly. Cover bowl with
plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When ready to cook,
let chicken come to room temperature for about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Arrange chicken on oiled foil-lined sheet pan.
4. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Flip chicken pieces and cook another 10 minutes
until chicken reaches 165 degrees and is no longer pink.
5. Make sauce in a small bowl by whisking together the mustard and honey. Add
water as needed for a workable consistency.
6. With a small pastry brush, brush sauce over chicken and broil 5 minutes until bubbly.
Place chicken pieces on a serving platter and sprinkle minced parsley over all.
• 10 chicken drumsticks
• 1 large lemon zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 whole cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 pinch each salt and pepper
• Minced parsley for garnish
honey mustard sauce
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice