Governor (MA) Mitt Romney: Liberty Sunday Address
10-05-2006
Thank you! What a group! Welcome to this historic city.
And you know that the authors of liberty recognized a divine Creator who bequeathed to us certain inalienable rights. They affirmed freedom of religion, and they proscribed the establishment of any one religion.
But today there are some people who are trying to establish one religion: the religion of secularism. They not only reject traditional values, they reject the values of our founders and they cast aside the wisdom of the ages.
Their allies are activist judges -- and here in Massachusetts activist judges struck a blow to the foundation of civilization: the family. They ruled that our Constitution requires people of the same gender to marry.
I believe their error occurred because they focused on adult rights. They said that if heterosexual adults can marry, then homosexual couples have to also be able to marry to have equal rights.
But what they ignored is that marriage is not primarily about adults. Marriage is about the nurturing and development of children. A child's development is enhanced by the nurturing of both genders. Every child deserves a mother and a father.
Of course, the principal burden of this court's ruling doesn't fall on adults -- it falls on children.
We're asked to change the state birth certificate. To prevent "heterocentricity," mother and father would become "Parent A" and "Parent B."
An elementary school teacher reads to her second graders from a book titled "The King and the King," about a prince who marries a prince -- and a second grader's father is denied the right to have his child taken out of that classroom while the book is being read.
Our state's most difficult-to-place adoptive children may no longer be placed by Catholic Charities because they favor homes where there's a mother and a father.
The price of same-sex marriage is paid by the children. Our fight for marriage, then, should focus on the needs of children, not the rights of adults.
In fact, as Americans, I believe that we should show an outpouring of respect and tolerance for all people. I believe God loves all of his children, that no one is abhorred -- that regardless of the differences and different choices, we should show that same respect. As Americans, we must vigorously reject discrimination and bigotry.
Massachusetts is on the frontline of marriage, but unless we adopt a federal amendment to protect marriage, what's happening here will unquestionably enter every other state. This spreading secular religion -- and its substitute values -- cannot be allowed to weaken the foundation of the family, or the faith of our fathers who "more than life, their country loved."
Thank you so much.
October 5, 2006
ROMNEY IMPLEMENTS BAG INSPECTIONS ON THE MBTA
Court victory in New York prompts enhanced transit security
Governor Mitt Romney today directed the MBTA to re-institute regular random bag inspections on the public transit system in order to shake up normal routines and make it more difficult to plan and carry out a potential terrorist act. The MBTA conducted random bag searches for a limited time before and during the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
“Terrorism is not a traditional criminal activity. We are fighting a war against people who have as their objective the overthrow of the United States government. Given that kind of threat, we have to adjust our homeland security strategies to confront it,” Romney said.
In August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York upheld a decision that bag inspections on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority do not violate an individual’s Constitutional rights. Following the London subway bombings in July of 2005, New York had instituted a policy that was based on the MBTA’s random bag inspection program used during the DNC.
“This is a proactive step to enhance security on the MBTA,” said Transportation Secretary John Cogliano. “Customers have the right to expect that we will do all in our power to ensure their safety.”
The federal appeals court found that random bag inspections do not violate the Fourth Amendment if they are based on a “special need” to conduct inspections without a warrant and are tailored to protect the rights of individual riders. Accordingly, (1) riders receive general notice of the program; (2) inspections focus on baggage large enough to carry explosives; (3) the inspection is of short duration; (4) the inspection is conducted in the open; and (5) persons to be inspected are selected via a predetermined cycle (e.g., one out of every nine, one out of every five).
The inspections are conducted using equipment that examines a “swab” of the zipper, seams or handle of a bag to detect any traces of explosive material. The technology does not require that bags be opened, although such a request can be made if warranted, and the tests can be done in a less than one minute, minimizing impacts on T riders.
In addition to the random inspections, Romney said that the MBTA Transit Police will be implementing high-visibility “impact teams” trained in anti-terrorism and behavioral recognition techniques. These teams will patrol in tactical uniforms in order to increase police visibility and bolster anti-terrorism efforts.
“The MBTA Transit Police Department views random security inspections as a vital element in our continued efforts to deter, detect, and prevent a terrorist incident on the transit system,” said Transit Police Chief Joseph Carter. “Transit Police supervisors and officers are particularly trained to ensure inspections follow strict protocol and are conducted respectfully and expeditiously.”
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