I want to see the Justice Dept. get more involved and before November! My state's law goes into effect for the primary NEXT MONTH.

that the Justice Department will not get involved. I don't believe that these two things are in any way mutually exclusive.

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/doj-blocks-south-carolina-voter-id-law

I have absolutely no problem with the NAACP or any other org wanting both domestic and international attention drawn to this issue.

It's part of the reason why our federal elections are so fucked up--all these idiotic caucus states and these elections that exclude anyone working a 12 hour shift...it's just stupid, the way we do it.

They need to find a civil rights hook to get Justice involved. Going off to Geneva just won't do it. Those Swiss guys might be simpatico, but they aren't the boss of us, as the kids say.

Last edited Mon Mar 19, 2012, 01:55 AM - Edit history (1)

And yes, we all know that the laws are made in the US and no one else can change them.

But MLK's Nobel Prize win had a significant impact on the world's knowledge and perception of the Civil Rights Movement. I don't see anything wrong at all with trying to get international exposure to a domestic issue. That's usually what groups fighting against an injustice want.

I don't think the NAACP is wasting their time entirely, but I hope they've got a crew over at Justice raising Cain too~!

We need Holder to throw down and call this what it is--targeting people owing to race, economic status and age (the elderly often do not have picture IDs, either). And we know which way these groups they are targeting vote. People's civil and voting rights are being violated with targeted tactics that are only slightly less obvious than charging a damn poll tax (those ID cards are not free, they cost a bit less than a license, and people have to get to the motor vehicle registry--a bus ride or a cab for people who don't have a car--stand in line, pay for the card, then get home) and the clock is ticking.

We need this issue resolved in our favor before the first Tuesday in November. It's TIME that is making me nervous. Maybe that million bucks Bill Maher donated needs to be used to buy state ID cards for people in certain zip codes.

I swear, I think the GOP are total scum. This is just beyond low, what they are doing. No shame.

The issue IS time. And as you and others have noted, time is running out.

I posted a link upthread that says that the NAACP is aware of DOJ efforts to strike these laws down. I hope like Hell they've got a team (or 1000) in place to assist the DOJ with this.

The NAACP and others, like Rev. Al are working night and day on this issue.

So nice to see you again!

A common problem on the American Left: over optimism about what the UN can actually do, save for issue a report or conduct a meaningless study.

Ben Jealous told the Guardian that the UN had a powerful weapon in its armoury: shame.

"Shame alone is effective. The US, and individual states within the US that have introduced these laws, have a vested interest in maintaining the opinion that we are the world's leading democracy. That means something," Jealous said.

A bunch of good ole boys in the Alabama legislature could give a mouse's ass what the United Nations thinks of them.

Dr. Martin Luther King, accompanied by his wife, today paid a visit to the United Nations Headquarters. Dr. and Mrs. King are seen being greeted by Mr. Ralph J. Bunche, UN Under-Secretary for Special Political Affairs. 4/Dec/1964


Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (speaking on) documents showing the links between Dr. King and his long-time supporter Ralph Bunche, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs who, in 1950, became the first African-American man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. King was the second, receiving the honour 14 years later, in 1964:

“What I saw today helped me form a picture of their close relationship,” said Mr. Ban, adding that he had been particularly moved by a letter from Ralph Bunche, on UN stationery, asking Dr. King and his wife to visit him on the way to the Nobel ceremony in Oslo.

During the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Mr. Bunche told supporters at the Montgomery Statehouse that the UN was with them. “In the UN, we have known from the beginning that secure foundations for peace in the world can be built only upon the principle and practice of equal rights and status for all peoples, respect and dignity for all.”

read: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26599&Cr=atlanta&Cr1


King and other civil rights supporters applauded the State Department’s protest of the Sharpeville massacres and urged Eisenhower to issue a declaration “placing the administration firmly on the side of Negroes” in the South, adding: Africans are turning to the UN for moral support and encouragement; must we?”

In response, Gerald Morgan, deputy assistant to the president, referred to Eisenhower’s earlier expression of sympathy for the “efforts of any group to enjoy the rights of equality.”’

read: http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/primarydocuments/Vol5/26Mar1960_ToDwightD.Eisenhower.pdf

THE PRESIDENT
THE WHITE HOUSE

WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT OUR STATE DEPARTMENT HAS PROTESTED THE MASS KILLINGS OF OUR SOUTH AFRICAN BROTHERS AND WE ARE PLEASED THAT THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL WILL MEET MARCH 29 TO ~CONSIDER THAT OUTRAGE.*

WE URGE THAT BEFORE MARCH 29TH OUR GOVERNMENT ISSUE A STATEMENT PLACING THE ADMINISTRATION FIRMLY ON THE SIDE OF NEGROES IN THE SOUTHERN STATES IN THEIR PRESENT STRUGGLE FOR THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, SINCE THEY ARE SUBJECTED TO INTIMIDATION, THREATS AND VIOLENCE
WHEN THEY CLAIM THESE RIGHTS.

26 Mar 1960

FURTHERMORE, VOTING LAWS ARE USELESS TO SOUTHERN NEGROES WHO FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES AND FOR THE SAFETY OF THEIR FAMILIES IF THEY TRY TO REGISTER AND VOTE. SUCH A STATEMENT FROM THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD STRENGTHEN THE POSITION OF OUR DELEGATION BEFORE THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD.

SOUTH AFRICANS CANNOT HOPE FOR HELP FROM A GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO “APARTHEID” ; NOR CAN WE HOPE FOR HELP FROM LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS COMMITTED TO “WHITE SUPREMACY” . AFRICANS ARE TURNING TO THE UN FOR MORAL SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT;

MUST WE?

SIGNED:

THE REVEREND R. 0. ABERNATHY, MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA;
PRESIDENT, MONTGOMERY IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.

DR. JOHN S. CHAMBERS, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY; EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES.

JOHN WESLEY DOBBS, ATLANTA, GEORGIA; GRAND MASTER, PRINCE HALL MASONS.

DR. CHARLES G. GOMILLION, TUSKEGEE, ALABAMA; PRESIDENT, TUSKEGEE CIVIC ASSOCIATION.

DR. EDWIN B. HENDERSON, FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA;
AUTHOR AND EDUCATOR.

JOHN L. LEFLORE MOBILE, ALABAMA; PRESIDENT,
MOBILE CIVIC ASSOCIATION.

THE REVEREND MARTIN LUTHER KING, ATLANTA, GEORGIA; PRESIDENT, SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE.

DR. HERMAN H. LONG, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE; FISK UNIVERSITY.

BISHOP EDGAR H. LOVE, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND; PRESIDENT, COLLEGE OF BISHOPS, THE METHODIST CHURCH, CENTRAL JURISDICTION.

HERBERT MARSHALL 111, M.D., WASHINGTON, D.C.; PAST PRESIDENT, NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

E. D. NIXON, MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA; PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF SLEEPING CAR PORTERS, MONTGOMERY DIVISION.

DR. M. D. PERDUE, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY; CHAIRMAN, COMMISSION ON STATE OF THE NATION AND NEEDS OF THE RACE,

Why would the UN members would disapprove of Voter ID if it is the standard in their home countries?

Yet to hear and answer to that...

as a blatant attempt to minimize and/or deny minority voter involvement as has been done here for decades.

Not "Is a voter card required?" It's "Who pays for it?"

These states aren't saying they will issue an ID. They are saying the voter has to have one. If people don't drive, they can get a state ID/ABC card, but they have to PAY for it.

Are you good with having a voter ID required if they are issued for free? I think that is a reasonable requirement if the Voter ID does not cost anything. We are all interested in preserving the integrity of the electoral process, and that means that everyone eligible gets to cast their vote, but it also means that everyone eligible gets to cast ONLY their vote.

That James O'Keefe can't commit random acts of voter fraud anymore? Hmmmmm . . .

Does free mean - it's free IF you pass the state issued literacy test in Japanese - even if you were born and raised in Geneva Lake Wisconson?

That you can apply for a voter ID for free. no test. I said nothing about a test. You get a voter ID for free, that's it. Why aren't we all supportive of a measure that will help to maintain the integrity of the electoral process? One legal American citizen, one vote. it's that simple. Voter fraud makes all of our votes worth less.

How do you get to the this site to get this additional form of Voter ID?

And is it Federal Standards. . . Ie The Fed Rules for who is eligible makes null and void any and all state ID Laws?

Mississippi and Alabama have really bad records . . . And don't say "that was then, this is now."

I have relatives who grew up under Jum Crow.

I want to make absolutely certain that we aren't returning to 1962.

These are fair questions.

Until they are answered to my satisfaction - with guarantees that minority does not automatically equal convict without te right to vote . . . I'm supporting the NAACP.

you simply take a birth certificate to the town hall, or another form of id, or even a signed affidavit from a relative, friend, etc., and they would provide you with a voter ID card. I would guess any American citizen over the age of 18 would have the right to vote. Anyone that would fit this criteria should be eligible. The voter ID would simply be used to identify someone as eligible. It will not stop ineligible voters from voting entirely, but it will significantly stem the tide.

I just don't understand how this is not a better option than the significant voter fraud that has gone on in the past, and that people seem to find acceptable. without an ID system, anyone can go to any polling place, give a name and cast a ballot. when this happens, legal voters are disenfranchised.

I would think that any state would allow any legal, registered voter to cast a ballot. my only point is that you have to be registered, and you need some form of ID. There aren't many out there that don't already have some form of ID, but we do need to make every effort to accommodate those that do not. I want all legal registered voters to vote. I do not want those votes devalued by fraudulent votes being cast.

You misunderstood the question . . .

You are poor, elderly, live in a rural area: How do you get there?

In 2008 I drove 18 people to the polls. My last riders were two elderly people in the Allentown PA area. The woman was from Ireland and the man was part of the Great Migration in the at 1930's.

Unfortunately - I can't quit my job to take the tail end of the Great Migration to register - so how do they get there?

Has sufficient time been given for say - an elderly woman from Ireland to reach out to the Republic to get a copy of her BC?

Could you explain - where is this rampant illegal voting happening? The two cases I'm most familiar with we're done by a little boy named James O'Keefe who lives 15 minutes down the road from me in Princeton. This guy also made fake videos about a group called ACORN.

To date - I don't believe he has been arrested.

The other rampant fraud I'm aware of has taken place in Florida - but in that case the Florida State Government is not ejecting people from the polls - they are bypassing that and telling people they aren't Americans . . . But so far as I know the state of Florida does not have the authority of the Secretary of State's office.

I also have come to learn that they have not resourced the various US Consulates/Embassy around the world.

In my case a state employee in Florida would look at my place of birth and if they are smart say: Not only is she not an American - but the country she claims to have been born in doesn't even exist (a twenty year old who didn't receive a stellar education in Florida probably has no idea that here was once a West and an East Germany).

Now I just got married and went through a bunch of paper work to change my name. I will be pissed if I have to go trough a bunch of bullshit to get a state voting ID card when I just got an American passport with my new name. I shouldn't have to ever declare my citizenship to a campaign volunteer. My citizenship is Federal Domain.

So if we go down this path - it needs to be removed from the hands of states and put in the hands of the Fed. We should not ever trust states with our civil liberties or rights.

When black people in America had those two things administered by the state - they were NOT given their rights under the Constitution.

I don't understand how someone posting in this group could not understand why black Americans would not trust a State Government with ensuring they receive due process and equal protection under the law?

Voter ID should only be the domain of the Fed . . . Never ever eveeeeer the domain of a State.

we can make it a Federal Voting ID, states would not be involved. Also, I think you might be misunderstanding me. The Voter ID is only needed for those people that do not have any other form of photo ID like a driver's licence, Passport, military ID, etc. If you have a valid photo ID, then you don't need this. All you have to do is be registered.

Here is one example of fraud exposed. There are more, look them up.

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/ACORN-Organizers-Arrested-on-Voter-Fraud-Charges-58084157.html

Fortunately, ACORN reported the fraud themselves to illustrate that it is a few rogues and not the whole organization that is involved. Whether it is our fraud or the GOP's fraud, none of it is acceptable.

As far as how you get there, well, you just have to. volunteers, church organizations, etc. may be required.

Can local election officials be banned from SEEING the pictures prior to the precise moment the individual can vote?

See my below post. Note also the majority of AMERICANS being told they are not Americans by the state of Florida have Latino/Hispanic surnames.

why state election officials would need to see the pictures prior to voting. This would be a Federally issued ID for the purpose of casting a vote. All someone would do is present this card at the poll, have the ID verified with voter rolls, and then be handed a ballot. I would think that a positive ID would help to keep legal voters from being turned away at the polls. The GOP would have a harder time turning someone away that has been issued a legal Voter ID card.

Also, it is important that we make sure that all of these legal voters know that they need to be registered to be eligible to vote. I am a journalist and a friend of a friend came to me with a story about being turned away at the polls. He said that he is a US citizen, which I was able to verify, and he was living in the district in which he was attempting to vote. He did admit, though, that he never registered to vote, and did not register with selective services either. He was fearful to do so because not all of his family were here legally. He thought that by registering he would be exposing them to authorities. I had to tell him that although I support his right to vote as a US citizen, he was not eligible because he did not register. If I were to write the story, I would have to include this fact and it would only help to support the claims of the GOP.

We need to not give the GOP a valid reason to turn voters away at the polls. they will try anyway, but if we follow the rules, it will be harder, illegal and actionable.

http://blog.al.com/sweethome/2012/05/us_attorney_general_eric_holde.html

http://action.naacp.org/page/s/stophatepledge?source=sourceGoogle&subsource=subsourceFight%20Hate%20SITELINK&gclid=COXXiJf78a4CFYZoKgodu2GmLQ

I made a donation.

We also need to make sure our voting bloc is properly nurtured by getting AS MANY eligible people registered as possible and GETTING THEM TO THE POLLS...Which means taking an interest in politics in non-presidential years, too...

I work at an HBCU, and the number of students not bothering to vote and aimlessly milling around after the '10 races made me want to stab something...