The most important vote you haven't thought about

By Jim Irvine

Everyone is focused on John McCain and Barack Obama for President of the United States. But there is another vote that is just as important – your vote for the two Ohio Supreme Court Justice positions.

Supreme Court Justices Evelyn Stratton and Maureen O’Connor are up for election, and need your help. Most people do not know anything about these candidates. In fact, the vast majority of people do not even know who they are. Judges are always tough votes to cast, because people do not know the candidates like other offices, and because on the ballot voters don't even have a party affiliation to go by.

You need to make sure your friends and family know about this race, and the candidates that need support, because no matter what laws are passed in the legislature, they mean nothing without courts that uphold the law.

The only reason we still have a concealed carry law in Ohio is because Justices Evelyn Stratton and Maureen O’Connor defended your rights. Now it’s our time to defend them.

To explain the importance, consider the comments of one of the dissenting Justices on a challenge to the law, explaining that there should be no difference between private property and public property.

There is no rational basis to distinguish between private and public property owners in regard to their statutory ability to prevent persons from carrying firearms onto their property.

Never mind that you paid for your property, and you pay taxes on your property – some judges think you have no more rights on your property than on public property! That should scare the hell out of you.

Had this view prevailed, the city of Clyde could have outlawed concealed carry in their parks, and on their sidewalks, and on their roads, and in their city. Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo could do the same. They could ban handguns, or shotguns, or rifles, or ammunition. In essence, you could have lost your rights to own and use your guns, even in your own house. (If they can ban it in public, they can ban it in homes, as has been done in many cities in Illinois)

But we didn't lose. We won a 4-3 decision, affirmed by Justices Stratton and O’Connor. The ruling concluded that Clyde’s ordinance, “…conflicts with R.C. 2923.126, a general law. The ordinance is therefore unconstitutional.” You retain your rights...for as long as Stratton and O’Connor’s beliefs are the majority on the court. But we only won by one vote, and thus we need to make sure both of them return to the court to protect our rights.

Every Ohio voter will have Stratton and O’Connor on their ballot this year. Please help us spread the word on the importance of voting for these two defenders of liberty.

http://www.strattonforsupremecourt.com/

http://www.oconnorforjustice.com/

Related Story:
Value of Directly Elected Judges proven once again in Clyde Case