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.
- Current Location:High Dudgeon
- Current Mood:
angry - Current Music:We Shall Overcome
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grrm- George R.R. Martin
- George R. R. Martin
Comments
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.
I'm much more suspicious of anyone who supports "vote early and vote often".
And your mention of ACORN is both besides the point and incorrect.
The "false registrations" were identified and reported by ACORN themselves, in compliance with federal laws that they had to file any registrations sent to them even if they thought they were fraudulent.
James O'Keefe turned out to be a hoax artist, who edited and re-cut his videos to make it seem like ACORN were supporting criminal acts. The raw unedited footage made it quite clearer what O'Keefe was doing, and how manipulative he was being. (Where is O'Keefe now? Facing potential criminal charges in New Hampshire after trying to prove voter fraud is easy, and getting caught acquiring ballots under false pretences.)
Lobbying and GOP grandstanding about these pushed congress to deny them access to all federal funds.
Four separate federal and state investigations entirely cleared and exonerated ACORN, but the damage was already done and their loss of corporate donations and federal funding meant they closed in 2010.
Bringing up ACORN isn't a defence of the GOP's actions, it's an indictment of the GOP's actions. The GOP aided and abetted a campaign against a group who's aims were getting low and moderate income families access to housing, healthcare and voting rights. The only "Democratic bias" there is that group is more likely to democratically vote for Democrats.
Because George W Bush's administration spent 5 years looking for it and found all of 300 cases....98% of which was former felons voting when they didn't have the right to. Something which won't be stopped by any Voter ID law.
And then you can explain why the Republican Secretary of State in Ohio is limiting voting hours in Democrat counties to the hours of 9-5 but letting Republican counties have longer voting hours, just to use an example.
Is there something wrong with asking that the reactionary right prove that there is ACTUAL voter fraud before we disenfranchise millions of voters?
Is there something wrong with demanding to know why in Ohio extended early voting is available in Republican counties but not in Democratic -leaning counties and how this is not anti-American?
Is there something wrong with suggesting that the Right is terrified to let their ideas stand on their own and instead attempt to win elections by suppressing the vote?
I'll answer for you - no, no, and hell no.
Your friend, Rusty
Here in Germany, valid ID cards are required for voting.
BUT, at the same time, each and every citizen is given an ID card. If a citizen cannot afford the necessary fees, the social services will pay for the ID card.
Requirements should be the same for all voters. If a governments demands to a voter's ID, it should also provide an ID for the voter.
On the surface, nothing. Simple verification is a protection against voter fraud.
However, you can't just implement new standards 3 months prior to the election. If they really wanted this to be fair and equal, there should have been non-partisan voter registration drives across the country and other steps to make sure everyone had ample opportunity to comply with the proposed new regulations at the very least a year ago.
As it is being proposed, this is obviously just a shell game trying to keep some undesirable demographics away from the polls. I'm fairly conservative and even I can't stand what the Tea Party is pulling off.