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	Could D.C. be America's Pinocchio? (Published February 9, 2004) By BILL MOSLEY

Recent news reports touching on the District’s political status reminded me of the story of Pinocchio.

Pinocchio, as most children know, is the boy-like puppet who yearned to be a real boy. Early in the story, Pinocchio magically gained the ability to walk, talk and do just about everything a real boy could do – except that he was not a boy because he was still made of wood. At the end, Pinocchio finally got his wish and became a real flesh-and-blood boy.

I thought of Pinocchio when a U.S. District Court judge last month ruled that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution doesn’t apply to the District of Columbia. This ruling enabled the District to preserve its prohibition on the possession of handguns, but only because the amendment stipulates that the "right . . . to keep and bear arms" applies only to "a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state" – and, as we know, the District is not a state.

While we can be thankful that our democratically enacted gun laws are secure, it’s a bit demeaning that only our colonial status saved them.

The little puppet-boy also came to mind when I read last month that Puerto Rico spent nearly $20 million between 1998 and 2002 lobbying for statehood – even though only a minority of Puerto Ricans registered support for statehood in the most recent referendum held four years ago. Meanwhile, even though a majority of D.C. residents support statehood, the D.C. government spent zero dollars lobbying for statehood during that period – because Congress, through its control over the D.C. budget (a power it doesn’t have over Puerto Rico), has prohibited the District from spending even its locally raised funds to campaign for statehood or congressional voting rights.

(If that’s not outrageous enough: District residents pay federal income taxes – a higher amount per capita than any state except Connecticut – while Puerto Ricans do not.)

Why does all this remind me of Pinocchio? Like Pinocchio, who found himself something more than a puppet but less than a real boy, the District exists in a sort of limbo. From being a complete ward of Congress during most of the past two centuries, the District has gained a few rights during the past few decades in piecemeal fashion – the right to vote for president, a non-voting delegate in Congress, an elected school board, and a locally elected mayor and council (whose actions are subject to Congress).

Recently, the Senate voted to remove the portion of the District’s budget consisting of locally raised funds from the federal appropriations process. This measure, if seconded by the House of Representatives and signed by the president, would eliminate one of the most meddlesome forms of federal intrusion in local government.

But even with all this, the District falls far short of being a "real" part of the United States. Even if the District gained voting rights in Congress, we would – as the gun ruling illustrates – be something less than full-fledged members of our own nation. Even if the measure for budget autonomy passes, Congress could still overturn our budgets and laws.

The late George S. LaRoche, an attorney who dedicated much of his life and talent to the fight for full democracy for the District, had it right. He often emphasized that only citizens who resided in states could fully participate in America’s civic life. After all, the nation was founded as a union of states – as its very name, "United States of America," illustrates – to whom the Constitution guarantees certain rights. As for the District, the Constitution grants Congress the right "to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever" over us. Until such time as D.C. residents realize their aspirations to statehood, any intermediate rights we gain will come with an asterisk attached.

Pinocchio’s wish to become a real boy came true. When will D.C. residents realize their dream of becoming real Americans?

UPDATE: In my last column, I wrote of the upcoming trial of seven activists – including myself – who were arrested last Oct. 1 in the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert while lobbying to free D.C.’s budget from congressional control. On Jan. 28, we appeared in court prepared to defend ourselves, but the snow caused a postponement. The trial has been rescheduled for April 19, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in Room 212 of D.C. Superior Court before Judge Craig Iscoe. There will be a pre-trial rally outside the courthouse at 500 Indiana Ave. NW, beginning at 8 a.m. Watch this space for further information.

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Mosley is a member of the Stand Up! For Democracy in D.C. Coalition. Contact him at billmosley@verizon.net.

Copyright 2004, The Common Denominator