I am way too busy these days for long political rants.
But I would be remiss if I do not at least make passing mention of how depressed, disgusted, and, yes, angry I've become as I watch the ongoing attempts at voter suppression in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, and other states where Republicans and their Teabagger allies control key seats of power.
It is one thing to attempt to win elections. But trying to do so by denying the most basic and important right of any American citizen to hundreds and thousands of people, on entirely spurious grounds... that goes beyond reprehensible. That is despicable.
It would really be nice if there were still some Republicans of conscience out there who would stand up and loudly denounce these efforts, a few men of honor and integrity for whom "win the election" does not "win the election at any cost." There were once many Republicans I admired, even I disagreed with them: men like Everett Dirksen, Clifford Case, Henry Cabot Lodge, William Scranton... yes, even Barry Goldwater, conservative as he is. I do not believe for a moment that Goldwater would have approved of this, any more than Robert A. Heinlein would have. They were conservatives, but they were not bigots, nor racists, nor corrupt. The Vote Suppressors have far more in common with Lester Maddox, George Wallace, John Stennis, and their ilk than they do with their distinguished GOP forebears.
The people behind these efforts at disenfranchising large groups of voters (the young, the old, the black, the brown) are not Republicans, since clearly they have scant regard for our republic or its values. They are oligarchs and racists clad in the skins of dead elephants.
And don't tell me they are libertarians either. No true libertarians would ever support a culture where citizens must "show their papers" to vote or travel. That's a hallmark of a police state, not a free country.
TUESDAY ADDENDUM: Okay, this has been running several days now, has been featured on HUFFINGTON POST and ABC news, referenced on Stephanie Miller, and no doubt countless other people. We have had four hundred messages, and I think everyone has had their say, and everything that needs to be said has been said. Generally eight or ten times. There are plenty of links and references in the comment threads for those who would like to know more about these voter suppression efforts. If you don't want to dig through the links, start with the Brennan Center for Justice and get the facts.
There's no sense in letting this spin on in circles forever. I am locking comments. Back to Westeros and worldcon and similar subjects, boys and girls.
Thanks for listening.
But I would be remiss if I do not at least make passing mention of how depressed, disgusted, and, yes, angry I've become as I watch the ongoing attempts at voter suppression in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, and other states where Republicans and their Teabagger allies control key seats of power.
It is one thing to attempt to win elections. But trying to do so by denying the most basic and important right of any American citizen to hundreds and thousands of people, on entirely spurious grounds... that goes beyond reprehensible. That is despicable.
It would really be nice if there were still some Republicans of conscience out there who would stand up and loudly denounce these efforts, a few men of honor and integrity for whom "win the election" does not "win the election at any cost." There were once many Republicans I admired, even I disagreed with them: men like Everett Dirksen, Clifford Case, Henry Cabot Lodge, William Scranton... yes, even Barry Goldwater, conservative as he is. I do not believe for a moment that Goldwater would have approved of this, any more than Robert A. Heinlein would have. They were conservatives, but they were not bigots, nor racists, nor corrupt. The Vote Suppressors have far more in common with Lester Maddox, George Wallace, John Stennis, and their ilk than they do with their distinguished GOP forebears.
The people behind these efforts at disenfranchising large groups of voters (the young, the old, the black, the brown) are not Republicans, since clearly they have scant regard for our republic or its values. They are oligarchs and racists clad in the skins of dead elephants.
And don't tell me they are libertarians either. No true libertarians would ever support a culture where citizens must "show their papers" to vote or travel. That's a hallmark of a police state, not a free country.
TUESDAY ADDENDUM: Okay, this has been running several days now, has been featured on HUFFINGTON POST and ABC news, referenced on Stephanie Miller, and no doubt countless other people. We have had four hundred messages, and I think everyone has had their say, and everything that needs to be said has been said. Generally eight or ten times. There are plenty of links and references in the comment threads for those who would like to know more about these voter suppression efforts. If you don't want to dig through the links, start with the Brennan Center for Justice and get the facts.
There's no sense in letting this spin on in circles forever. I am locking comments. Back to Westeros and worldcon and similar subjects, boys and girls.
Thanks for listening.
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Comments
As the Republican Party recognizes that except in gerrymandered districts, local elections, and states like Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona, Texas, and other backwaters of civilization, they can't win without suppressing the vote, particularly of the young, poor, and non-white, they have no compunction about raising up a holy stink about non-existent voter fraud, making a mountain of a molehill in the ATF gun situation (also in Arizona, of course, where DAs won't prosecute straw buyers no matter how glaringly obvious it is that they're buying to sell to Mexican drug cartels) in order to tie up a voting-rights protection oriented US Attorney General (who, utterly coincidentally, is black) so that he can't actively pursue those who are interfering with voting rights, all in a gigantic effort to distract the media (not a particularly difficult thing) from their real agenda, which of course is to steal senatorial and presidential elections.
They know there's no chance of Mitt Romney defeating a sitting president with such positive numbers among blacks, Latinos, women, and young people unless they can turn this into another Florida 2000 situation, coupled with amplifying the influence of their favorite constituency - scared working class, middle class, and upper class white males. As that demographic is not enough to win outright, it's simple math that leads them to suppressing the votes of those not likely to vote for the clueless Mitt Romney and his Eddie Munster VP candidate. Sickening? Yes. Surprising? 'Fraid not.
it scares me how extreme the republican party is becoming. they're willing to do anything to win.
Edited at 2012-08-12 05:09 am (UTC)
We shall overcome someday.
I am afraid I don't understand your gripe. Is there something wrong with asking people that they prove in some way that they are actually citizens of this country before they are allowed to cast a vote to determine who will represent the citizens of this country? Seems legit to me. And if you do want to rant about something truly reprehensible, please take a look at the actions of the clearly democratic biased group Acorn in the 2008 election. Sorry to disagree with you here, George. I truly love your books and respect your opinions. Thanks for all of the enjoyment that you have created for me.
Warm regards,
Kyle Manning
Until and unless the United States makes national or state ID available for free to every citizen, yes, there is. Did you know that over a quarter of the county Department of Motor Vehicle offices in Wisconsin are open less than 1 day a month? There are a few counties that only are open 1 or two days every year. It is extremely difficult and expensive for some people to get recognized IDs, when the choice is possibly having to skip work, get rides for an hour or more from someone, or navigate public transport for long distances. Many people change addresses frequently, making it difficult for them to provide utility bills or other proof of residence that are required to get IDs. Something like 1/8 of all Americans do not have access to their birth certificates for various reasons - many states or municipalities require such certificates to be copied or obtained *only* in person - what if you live across the country from where you were born?
Proving citizenship, particularly for many populations who face hardship in the US, is not a simple process. If states truly want to move forward with this plan for ID, to make sure that we all have state or national "papers", then they have to take the time and money to make absolutely certain that every citizen has them. It will take probably a decade or more, and will lead to a very different country than the one we have now.
But it's clear that nobody in power wants voting to be as fair as it could be. Nothing about our system is ideal to promote equal access to the voting booth.
Your post is full of so many misstatements, distortions, and outright lies that I hardly know where to begin refuting it.
Let me just state, for starts, that the "blocking the military from voting" is completely false, as one of the other posters documents below. Whoever told you that was case was a spin doctor, to be generous... but it's not true.
Tyrions? ;)
I've been living in the States for many years and am disgusted with what I am seeing the Republicans trying to do (or should I say destroy, like pouty little children) today. I'm very thankful I have retained my Canadian citizenship.
UNLIKE the USA (with the exception of a handful of states), Canada believes in and supports civil and human rights, so is a FAR better country to live in. Northern Europe is 'way ahead of the USA as well.
Here in the USA, one of our two major parties is INFESTED with RRR cultists (the [IR]-Religious Radical Right bigots) who are DEDICATED, 24/7, to hatefully and irrationally destroying personal liberties and rights of tens of millions of people. The USSR under Gorby (but not under Stalin) was literally better, in terms of respecting human rights, than today's USA is. By all means, DO retain your citizenship in CIVILIZED Canada!
Thank you. I, too, have been waiting to hear someone very publicly denouncing these actions from the Republican side, some leader who is brave and actually cares about the country and all of its people. The end justifies these means, in their mind, with no thought to the cost. Politics has become a huge sporting game rather than a means to serve the needs of the citizens and the country as a whole.
How citizens can vote without some ID?
Or i am misunderstanding something?
Indeed, the US has no "national identity card," and has always resisted one. More and more, the driver's license is used for that purpose... but really, it just supposed to license you to DRIVE.
(The pills had been developed for *enhanced* vampirism, so there's your Overton Window, right there!)
The were-elephants pushing this creed aren't conservatives, in the traditional sense. Unfortunately, they are 'in the room', and berating them just causes true conservatives to bunch up and ignore the snacking noises coming from behind.
I prefer to try separating the were-elephants out by sticking them with a more accurate label: 'self-servative'.
...Meanwhile, in the spirit of self-defeating paranoid prophecies, keep an eye on those Diebold thingies..
Misdirection is their game and they won't give up until they steal the entire show.
In the UK, the procedure (I've seen this from both sides) is basically that you turn up and inform the ballot box clerks "I am So-and-so of Such-and-such address", and if their list of voters (from the register) includes a So-and-so living at Such-and-such they get issued with a ballot paper. It helps if you bring the card which tells you where to vote, but you don't have to.
OK, there are possibilities for gaming the system, and procedures for provisional ballots if required, but generally things just work out. The basic idea is to make it as easy as possible for anyone to vote who's entitled to.
Until now.
SIGH.