Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes ‘Sikh Kirpan Bill’!
So, a suggestion for Governor to host a ‘Chai Summit’ 
The California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed the ‘Sikh Kirpan Bill’, a bill that was intended to educate law enforcement officers about the religious significance of ‘kirpans’. The Governor found the bill “unnecessary”, and therefore rejected it.
The Sikh community has been celebrating the earlier success of the same bill, when it was passed unanimously by the state lawmakers. This veto was particularly surprising given the bipartisan votes in favor of the bill in both houses of legislature earlier this year.
“This loss for the Sikh community is a reminder of our serious lack of political clout in this state. After months of hard work and 100 per cent support from our lawmakers, the Sikh voice was still not strong enough to overcome the whim of one man,” said Sikh Coalition Board chairman Prabhjot Singh.
To be clear, the Kirpan bill is not intended to allow or permit to carry the kirpan. The bill was focused only on educating the law enforcement departments about the Sikh tradition, and avoiding legal battles resulting from any meaningless arrests where police mistakes kirpan as a weapon.
The reason for the Governor’s veto seems to be that it is not necessary to pass a bill just for the sake of raising awareness.
Chia Time -Tea or Coffee anyone?
Earlier this year, a black Harvard professor was arrested at his own house in Cambridge by a white cop for disorderly conduct and a possible break-in. The incident started a discussion about race relations and racial discriminations across the nation. To calm down the nerves and the racial tension, President Obama invited the professor and the cop to the White House for a casual meet over a few glasses of beer; the meeting became known as the ‘beer summit’
May be the Governor should do something similar to raise awareness about this Sikh tradition.
However, the Sikh religion prohibits liquor consumption, and neither are the Police supposed to drink on duty. With beer out of the question, ‘chai’ (tea) seems to be the best alternate and a common ground for Sikhs and the law enforcement.
So, what Governor really needs is to host a ‘Chai Summit’ between the Police chiefs of California and the Sikh leaders, to raise awareness about this Sikh tradition of carrying kirpan. Consider a back-up option of coffee for those who don’t drink tea.
Would you vote for tea and coffee?
It is high time, for the chai time!
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#1 by Raj72 on October 20, 2009 - 1:18 PM
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May be we can have tea, coffee and beer too.
#2 by Param on October 20, 2009 - 1:20 PM
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lol
#3 by Siddharth Pandey on January 7, 2010 - 5:32 AM
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How about lassi summit?
#4 by Phoenix2011 on August 2, 2011 - 10:42 AM
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I will have to agree with Governor Schwarzenegger over the matter of the Sikh Kirpan Bill. Is one religion more important than another? If law enforcement is to be educated on Sikh religion, then they should be trained on all religion. In some religions, the sacrificing of humans to their gods is still an accepted practice. Sex with children is an accepted in other religions. Exactly where should US Government draw the line on what is illegal and what should be an accepted practice.
The wearing of the Sikh Kirpan knife as a religious artifact is required by the Sikh faith. However, to the rest of the world, a Kirpan is a knife. Regardless of the fact that the Kirpan has rounded edges on both sides of the knife, the knife still has a point which can pierce human skin. The length of the knife is approximately, 3 inches or 7.62 centimeters, which makes the knife of sufficient length to pierce the heart, lungs, throat, leg, etc. of an opposing person, regardless of the general adaptation syndrome’s fight or flight theory. However, if in the Sikh religion, there is a clause which emphasizes when the knife can and cannot be drawn, the world will consider the knife for what it is, an object of faith as well as a weapon to be used for offense and defense. I understand some Sikh members will disagree with this message. However, in my defense, I know a few Sikh members and they have stated to me, they feel safer walking the streets of the United States knowing they are wearing the Kirpan and can use it to defend themselves when needed.