Jesse Jackson put vote fraud in historical context

Jesse Jackson is no Martin Luther King, but there are times when it's obvious he knew the guy and learned a thing or two.

This is his statement to the judiciary committee forum on vote abuses in Ohio, the nation, and in our history. When he gets to the history part, he moves this out of conspiratorial speculation to a continuation of a long established strategy and pattern of exclusion that started with the Jim Crow South and was adopted by the GOP in 1964.

I've just excerpted the context setting stuff, but you should read the whole thing, and check for further developments at:

http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/index.html

Oddly, the judiciary committee redesigned their website between Conyers hearing and today. Of course it has no mention of Conyers hearing, but they also changed the link to the democrats on the committee's page from MINORITY DEMOCRATS to just MINORITY WEBSITE, and to underline the point, when you click on the link, you get an intermediate page that says "you are leaving this site and going to..." At least they are still leaving their stuff up.

If this has any affect on you whatsoever, make a sign, get in your car, and go to your state capital by noon this Sunday.

KEY EXCERPTS:

This system of a 50 state, separate and unequal elections must give way to the fulfillment of the America promise, which requires an amendment to the Constitutional affirming the individual right to vote, federally protected, and an even playing field for all Americans. The Electoral College should be abolished; it should not have the power to defy the popular will.

I am here today to speak up for those who we asked to stand in line for hours to vote, in precincts with incomplete poll lists, facing out-of-state shyster lawyers armed with caging lists, with non-auditable, privately owned voting machines without paper trails, hemmed in by arbitrary rules issued by partisan, biased and ambitious election officials.

I am here today to speak up for the poor, for too long denied the right to vote. For women who’s right to vote was extended in the 1920’s, for whites who could not pay poll taxes, and Latinos who are English language challenged. For African Americans, this has been a 346 year journey, a long road of bloody battles, denials, unjust laws, lynchings, work without wages, and through it all, served honorably in our nation’s military to create and defend democracy around the world. This right has been too slow coming, survived by too much violence, for our leadership to be so cavalier and with a shrug of a shoulder, to let it go.

In Ohio I stood in the rain for 2 hours, for 4 hours, for 8 hours, just to cast a vote that might or might not be counted. Some were told they were in the wrong line, sometimes with more than one precinct in the room, told to go to the back of the line, in “line 2.” For the poor, illiterate, the old and sick, this was classic voter suppression.

I am here today to speak up for Latinos in Nevada, who were falsely registered to vote by thugs who then tore up their voter registration forms, throwing them in the trash. I am here today to speak up for Native Americans, who continue to be mistreated and ripped off by powerful public officials in so many states, who ask only to be allowed to go cast their votes in a land that was taken from them by force.

We must not betray dreams of those that paid such a high price by silence, impatience or surrender. I am here today to speak up for students and young people, who turned out in force despite county officials who often tried to deter and deny them polling places on campus.

Far too many are being far too silent and passive in the face of this challenge to democracy. The Attorney General is charged with enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, and must use the resources of its office to enforce the equal protection provisions. Silence is betrayal.

For the tremendous legislative work lead by Lyndon Johnson in 1965, for the awesome leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for the blood of Goodwin, Schwerner and Cheney, Viola Luiza, Medgar Evers, and the wreaking pain and humiliation endured by Fannie Lou Hamer, I continue to urge the Kerry campaign, the DNC and Democratic Party, those who depend upon the vote of African Americans, Latinos, people of color and the young – those that profess to love freedom and dignity of any party – to join us. I urge the Congress to act before Michael Moore comes back and exposes the violations and the capitulation again.

FULL TEXT:

http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/jacksonsrvotestmt12804.pdf
FROM SELMA TO PALM BEACH TO COLUMBUS
House Judiciary/John Conyers Hearings
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
December 8, 2004

If it's bold-face, large print, I apologize. I'm used to sending stuff to friends with short attention spans.

Good stuff Jesse.

:kick:

I know I want to.

love the last sentence too! hahaha...