Saturday, February 14, 2009

Erik Helland and Republicans: your home is your castle!

Republicans, including Polk County’s own Erik Helland in the Iowa legislature have quietly placed an important policy issue before the General Assembly. HF 86, which really is the Castle Act (as in one’s home is one’s castle) provides Iowans with the unambiguous right to use reasonable force, including deadly force, without having first retreated and to stand one’s ground, (i.e. meet force with force), if one believes reasonable force, including deadly force, is necessary under the circumstances to prevent death or serious injury to oneself or a third party, or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

The teeth of the bill is the provision of immunity from prosecution the tedious defense of one’s split second, fear wracked decision making process when the average Iowan is confronted with a home invasion. The clear purpose of the Castle Act is to protect Iowans from the financial and emotional costs of even a successful defense of the criminal, including murder, charges that sometimes follow the defense of one’s home.

More importantly, the Castle Act begins the process of unwinding the conscription of Titanoboa state that is suffocating one’s rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that, readers, is something.

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