News from Nita

I got an email from Congresswoman Nita Lowey over the weekend called "News from Nita".  In it, in addition to the usual nonsense politicians spew about all the government spending they're working to bring into their district at someone else's expense, Rep. Lowey wants us to know that "It's time to overturn DOMA because it isn't constitutional and it discriminates against loving, committed same-sex couples by denying them their constitutional rights. The law is simply inconsistent with the principles of freedom, equality, and justice for all." 

What Lowey doesn't bother to report is that she voted for DOMA, along with 341 other members of the House in 1996. She was for it before she was against it. Maybe in 1996 she misunderstood her oath of office and thought she was supposed to be denying Constitutional rights as opposed to voting to uphold them.

A basic aspect of the law of fraud is that there are two ways to commit fraud.  One is to make a statement that contains false information.  The other is to omit information that is necessary to make one's other statements not misleading.  The latter is the reason, for instance, for the recitation of potential side effects that  dominates every pharmaceutical ad; you have to disclose the bad as well as the good.   It's a shame that hack politicians like Lowey aren't held to the same standard as the private sector.