A federal judge did not delay Wisconsin’s presidential primary but he stated those voting absentee be given an extra six days. Deadline for absentee ballots is now 4 p.m. on April 13. Deadline for voters to request absentee ballots is today at 5 p.m. Voting in person is Tuesday, April 7. https://apnews.com/e36c3adc0c7474014f3e7ab566071303
On the ballot is a referendum called Marsy’s Law.
Please study this for yourself: https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_Marsy%27s_Law_Crime_Victims_Rights_Amendment_(April_2020)
Marsy’s Law, meant with good intentions, would present grave risks to the constitutional protections for citizens of Wisconsin accused of crimes.
Here’s some information that should be taken into consideration.
- Voters are asked to make a substantial constitutional change without text of the proposed amendment.
- The Montana Supreme Court struck it down as unconstitutional as it contains multiple amendments, each of which should require a separate vote.
- Section 9m, article I of the Wisconsin Constitution already provides victims with many of the same constitutional rights, making Marsy’s Law redundant.
- South Dakota reportedly spent a half-million dollars in the first year alone responding to the constitutional mandates created by Marsy’s Law.
- Wisconsin judges, prosecutors, law enforcement agencies and victim rights coordinators would have to interpret unclear mandates, creating additional burdens on justice officials and taxpayers.
Lastly, the one that really trumps all others:
- Marsy’s Law would allow “victims,” who accuse someone of a crime (whether or not that individual is innocent or guilty), to refuse to provide evidence that may be essential to the determination of the accused’s innocence. https://madison.com/wsj/opinion/column/peter-mckeever-marsys-law-would-jeopardize-constitutional-rights/article
Because Lyme/MSIDS is a systemic infection that can and often affects the brain and cognitive behavior of patients, they can unfortunately have run-ins with the law due to erratic behavior.
A few cases:
- https://www.foxnews.com/story/can-lyme-disease-lead-to-insanity-violent-tendencies
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/21/bartonella-sudden-onset-adolescent-schizophrenia-a-case-study/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/24/dutch-lyme-patients-accused-of-child-abuse/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/28/stories-of-pandas/ Children with PANS often have an underlying tick-borne illness.
- Dr. Bransfield states that YES, Lyme disease CAN cause violent behavior & substance abuse: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/09/17/ignoring-psychiatric-lyme-disease-at-our-peril/
To this day authorities won’t recognize the connection between tick-borne illness and mental issues: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/04/ld-diagnosis-took-forever-because-of-mental-health-stigma/
So, back to Marsy’s Law….hopefully it’s clear that tick-borne illness can cause violent and erratic behavior which could lead to being accused of crimes. Accusers wouldn’t have to present any evidence.
Patients would be guilty until proven innocent.
For patients struggling cognitively, accusers would have unfair advantage.
Lastly, please read this:
The U.S. Constitution and all 50 state constitutions guarantee defendants’ rights because they are rights against the state, not because they are valued more by society than victims’ rights. Defendants’ rights only apply when the state is attempting to deprive the accused – not the victim – of life, liberty, or property. They serve as essential checks against government abuse, preventing the government from arresting and imprisoning anyone, for any reason, at any time.
Victims’ rights are not rights against the state. Instead, they are rights against another individual. The Marsy’s Law formula includes the rights to restitution, to reasonable protection, and to refuse depositions and discovery requests, all of which are enforced against the defendant. Such rights do nothing to check the power of the government. In fact, many of the provisions in Marsy’s Law could actually strengthen the state’s hand against a defendant, undermining a bedrock principle of our legal system — the presumption of innocence. https://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/victims-rights-proposals-marsys-law-undermine-due-process
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 