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MAY 6, 2021 | The Jewish Home
lishment of a state commission of inquiry,” continued the missive. The letter was also sent to Israel Police Commissioner Koby Shabtai, Justice Minister Benny Gantz, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, and Supreme Court Chief Esther Hayut and comes amid rising support for such a move. On Monday, Defense Minister and Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz said he would push for an official probe and requested that Mandelblit draft a legal opinion regarding its ramifications. A state commission of inquiry is Israel’s most powerful investigative body and is tasked with conducting semi-legal procedures. The committee is completely independent and can only be established by an official government decision. Members are authorized to subpoena documents and can compel witnesses to testify. Its recommendations are submitted in a report to the prime minister and are legally binding. State commissions of inquiry are commonly established after major national tragedies, including the intelligence failure that led to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Sabra and Shatila Massacre in 1981, and the IDF’s subpar performance in the Second Lebanon War.
Florida Defends Election Integrity
Florida’s legislature passed a voting integrity bill limiting the use of mail-in ballots and heavily restricting drop boxes. The bill sailed through the Florida House on Thursday by a margin of 77-40 and in the Senate 23-17. Governor Ron DeSantis hailed the law’s approval, calling it a “major step in strengthening voter integrity” and said that he would be “delighted” to sign it into law. “We’ve had voter ID. It works. It’s the right thing to do,” DeSantis said, calling the recent presidential election “fair and transparent, and the
reforms we have coming will make it even better.” The bill adds additional ID requirements for mail-in voting, restricts who can drop off ballots at a drop box, and limits where they can be placed. It also mandates that a state official be present when the boxes are opened and forbids them from being moved within a month prior to election day. In addition, the legislation prevents nonprofits from using funds for elections and expands oversight during the counting process. The law follows similar legislation passed in Georgia last month and comes amid a wave of voter identity laws in GOP-controlled state legislatures. Currently, 28 different states are in the process of passing laws that limit mail-in voting access, add voter ID requirements, and make it easier to purge voter rolls. While Republicans argue that the measures are needed to combat voter fraud, Democrats contend that such legislation are attempts to suppress minority vote. After the bill passed in Florida’s House last week, Democrat Rep. Omari Hardy decried the legislation “the revival of Jim Crow in this state, whether the sponsors admit it or not.”
Women to Serve in Nat’l Guard in Vermont
In a first, women can now try out for all combat roles in the Vermont Army National Guard. The Guard announced last week that it would recruit women for all positions in the organization, including in special forces, paratroopers, and infantry. The new guidelines order the Vermont Army National Guard to promote women into command positions and promote “general integration in order to foster a healthy unit culture.” The change makes Vermont the first state to open all of its combat roles to women. In 2016, the Pentagon opened all military occupations
to women for the first time in U.S. military history. This allowed female servicemembers to transfer to combat jobs but not directly enlist into such positions until specific conditions were met. In January, the National Guard Bureau authorized the 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Infantry), to recruit women, a first for a battalion-sized combat arms unit in the Army National Guard. “This is a momentous achievement for the Vermont Army National Guard,” said Brig. Gen. James Pabis, assistant adjutant general-Army. “From the state staff to unit leaders, earning the ability to recruit women into all of our units required laser focus over several years.” He added that the Guard will continue its efforts “to cultivate diversity and inclusion throughout the organization.”
Despite Pressure, Kentucky Derby Plays Song
Organizers of the Kentucky Derby played the state’s official song before the annual race on Sunday, rejecting pressure from activists who claimed that the ditty is racist. Officials told Kentucky’s WLKY News that it would air the song as usual, pushing back against an online campaign by progressives. Since 1921, “My Old Kentucky Home” has been played at the beginning of every race at Churchill Downs. Written by Stephen Foster in the mid-1800s, the sentimental minstrel song speaks of the emotions experienced by a fictitious African-American slave forced to leave his “old Kentucky home” after being sold to a new owner. In recent weeks, race organizers had come under overwhelming pressure from activists to scrap the song over allegations that it was racist. Tactics included pressing sponsors to yank their ads over the offending words and launching a petition calling on TV stations not to broadcast the race.
