Are there ever any positive news stories about Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie?
I haven’t seen any yet, and his recent actions suggest that this will not change anytime soon.
He signed a piece of legislation that will punish groups seeking to boycott Israel based on their violation of Palestinian human rights. Governor Christie, who has been one of the loudest supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, signed the bill on Tuesday, August 16, 2016.
The new legislation requires Governor Christie to identify companies who support the boycotting of Israel. Many legal and civil liberty groups feel that it could potentially create a “blacklist” of institutions that support the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement.
Under this newly signed law, the State Investment Council is legally obligated to terminate relationships with any of these identified companies. The State Investment Council is responsible for more than 80 billion dollars in pension assets, so their requirement to divest could seriously hurt the finances of companies that support the BDS movement.
The New Jersey branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, strongly opposed the Governor Christie signed legislation by calling it “a dangerous precedent for New Jerseyan’s free speech.”
Alexander Shalom, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU, said in a statement:
“The ACLU-NJ strongly opposed this blacklist bill, and we now strongly oppose this blacklist law. This legislation requires the state to punish companies because of the beliefs people there hold rather than any action they have taken.”
Shalom also added:
“Now, the New Jersey government will be authorized to open investigations into people’s speech and beliefs to tell whether a company’s choice not to do business with Israel was based on political beliefs or other reasons, and to punish companies based on what they find.”
Legal advocacy groups are also none too pleased about the rise in anti-BDS legislation being proposed across the country. Rahul Saksena, a staff attorney at Palestine Legal, told Salon:
“The right to speak out and to engage in robust debate about important political issues — including through boycotts — is a cornerstone of democracy and is enshrined in our Constitution. It’s alarming that Governor Christie has so eagerly trampled on this right.”
Of course, Governor Christie disagrees with critics over his signed bill. Even though the United States State Department has recognized that Israeli occupation forces have used excessive force and tortured Palestinian citizens, he maintains that:
“Israel is the beacon of democracy in a region that is constantly in turmoil.”
Governor Christie continued to make his case by saying that the state of New Jersey does over 1.3 billion dollars in trade with Israel and that Israel is the United State’s:
“…One, true, and best friend.”
He is clearly making the standard case that the alliance between the United States and Israel is extremely important. However, it is also good to point out the political ramifications of anti-BDS legislation and what that would mean for American citizens.
In effect, Governor Christie is allowing the government to check up on people’s political beliefs and punish them if they are different from the political opinions of lawmakers. This is could potentially lead to a major problem where America’s right to free speech and protection under the law is being severely undermined and hurt.
ACLU-NJ’s Alexander Shalom spoke to this point by saying:
“The United States, as well as the world, has a long history of using boycotts as a form of political protest. Governor Christie undermined not only boycotting as a political tactic, but our founding principles of free speech and free association.”
Here is a video of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie explaining his support of Israel after signing his new bill on Tuesday of this week:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
