"The US Supreme Court has upheld an Indiana state law requiring people to show photo identification before voting, to guard against fraud.
Many Democrats believe that the voter ID laws represent an attempt by Republicans to suppress turnout among groups - like African-Americans and the poor - which traditionally vote for the Democrats.
And civil rights activists say that there is little history of voter fraud in Indiana."
The word is that the decision on Voter ID laws in Indiana, that the right wing neanderthals in the supreme court decided on today was expected to come in June. That's when most SCOTUS decisions are reported.
This decision, an abomination against Democracy and voting rights, directly supports and serves the Republican mission to make it more difficult for or to block poor, minority and youth voters from casting their votes at the polls entirely. This was part of the plan that Gonzales and his tainted Justice Department was working on.
The decision was due ou in June, but, since the Bush and Reagan appointees have been so extra efficient, the ruling allows Indiana to use the law to make it more difficult for Democratic primary voters next week.
Who do you think it will help-- the candidate with reliably voting senior citizens or the candidate who gets support from students and blacks?
Yup. We know who the right wing wants to see running against McCain. It's pretty sad to see the SCOTUS getting its hands in the picture of presidential politics again. But not surprising. It's been said before, but I'll say it again. Reagan and Bush have damned America with this toxic batch of Judiciary horror stories for decades to come. It certainly reminds us why a McCain victory would surely doom democracy and the constitution of this great nation. It will become this "once" great nation.
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
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Scalia has made this a particularly dangerous time.
Scalia noted in a recent interview that in his opinion, torture is legal under the amendments to the USA constitution.
It's time to reconsider the Supreme courts make-up. In 2008 election, we must demand that (1) a supreme court justice have his decisions reviewed in congress every five years and (2) we need at least temporarily add 6 new judges to the court for the duration of Judicial review.
by
ALONE (114 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 251 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 11:56:15 AM
There's no question that the Supreme Court is doing their best to trash the constitution, one case at a time. What's really hard to stomach is Scalia who recently commented that we "should just get over it" when they appointed Bush to the Presidency. Scalia walks and talks like the gangster he is and apparently, has as much respect for the public that Cheney does - which is ZERO!
Obviously, they are going to sway another election and in my view, are nothing more than a mouthpiece for the fascists they constantly vote to support.
William Cormier
by
William Cormier (111 articles, 5 quicklinks, 16 diaries, 276 comments)
on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 7:43:06 PM
Difficult to imagine, but the law used to mean something
at least on the surface, and that practice of the law, like public service, was once considered a noble calling. The law now means exactly what the rich and powerful want it to mean. They aren't even circumspect about it anymore. And public service is now synonomous with communist in the minds of a lot of people.
by
Wayne Turner (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 37 comments)
on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 7:57:43 PM
Selecting our next President. Too bad they can't be voted, impeached or otherwise removed by the people.
Note to Scalia: Not over it, not by a long shot. You trashed our country and ignored our constitution. Hard to believe the ruling wasn't, "count all the votes - no matter how long it takes - we'll wait".
When you become aware of just how rigged the game is - you wonder why you even bother....
by
August Adams (10 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 387 comments)
on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 9:02:11 PM
I remember and have a cassette copy of this. "Sadly, our constitution is a ambulatory document. It means no more or no less than what the standing justices say it does."
F. Lee Buckley 1984, on Larry King Late Night
by
mikel paul (5 articles, 1 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 309 comments)
on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 9:14:07 PM
"... in the good old days they had to distort the Constitution the good old fashioned honest way. They lied about it." Justice Antonin Scalia in Warrensburg, Missouri on March 4, 2008 at the University of Central Missouri.
Look, Bush is evil and undeniable the worst president the country has ever seen. It is a shame that he won in 2000. Yes, he did win. No, he was not appointed by the Supreme Court. It was Al Gore who asked the supreme court to rule on whether Florida had to follow federal election laws and not change Florida election law a after an election but prior to certification of the vote. The SC was 100 percent correct in making its ruling, however the ruling had no impact on the outcome. No mater how the votes were cast, Bush won. Counting Gore’s way, Bush had even a larger margin of victory.
by
M. Bennett (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments)
on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 10:01:49 PM
Very nice job of citing all the right wing talking points. In poker, they call it a "tell."
Except you forgot "get over it," most recently said by justice scalia. Amazing how a high capacity brain can be so morally impaired and sociopathically deranged.
by
Rob Kall (728 articles, 3775 quicklinks, 311 diaries, 1520 comments)
on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 10:27:15 PM
How about abandoning the Ad Hominem attacks and address the points I made?
So you think that I was “citing all the right wing talking points.” do you? Is labeling Bush as evil one of those talking points? How about saying that he is the worst president ever?
Please explain.
by
M. Bennett (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 12:47:07 PM
The combination of this problem with the total lack of confidence in the electronic voting and the powerful propaganda through the news media and pollsters, I am becoming alarmingly disenchanted with the electoral process. I have spent my life as an active political participant, but in the last few days I have become so skeptical of the process and so sure that the powers that be will never allow the people to speak that I don't even want to read a newspaper, listen to a news report or discuss this election. If someone like me who is educated, involved and formerly optimistic about our future is getting so turned off where will we go from here?
by
Ann Muir (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 5 comments)
on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 10:18:45 PM
Fascism is alive and kicking in America. we live under a Dictatorship in King George Bush, and Darf Rader Cheney. The once Great Nation of America is going under. The ship is sinking and fast. is their anyway it can be saved?? i dont think so. we face doom, just like Rome did. we the people of america let this happen. we have ignored our Government for to long. the (ELITE ) CONTROL AMERICA. ALONG WITH CORPORATE AMERICA. Rebell get rope's and string them all up. from a tree.
by
vincent passiatore (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 141 comments)
on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 11:40:12 PM
Ask yourself why Nancy Pelosi and the other democrat leaders who control both the House of Representatives and the US Senate have not impeached Bush and Cheney?
I believe that it is because they know that eventually the democrats will win the White House and they want to retain all those ill-gotten powers for themselves to use. Plus, many of them were culpable in voting for the Patriot (sic) Act without ever even reading it. That is inexcusable behavior in and of itself.
The fact is that there is not a dime’s worth of difference between Obama, Clinton, McCain and Bush. It is all the same huge, intrusive, coercive government mindset.
by
M. Bennett (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 12:56:39 PM
It's really sickening the way the right-wing has attempted to disguise underhanded dirty tricks as ways to improve the legitimacy of our elections!
Here in Georgia, we are required to have some sort of ID as well. If I'm not mistaken, it was the GOP that pushed so fervently for it and continues to do so with the help of some completely embarassing excuses for Democrats as well...
Now, given that voting polls located in precincts predominately made up of minority voters are often overcrowded, understaffed, and mysteriously lacking enough voting machines to make the entirely simple process anything but a long long wait in a line wrapping the building or overflowing into parking areas --you really gotta wonder who the hell's going to have enough will-power or time on their hands to go through it all twice or even several subsequent times in order to fraudulently cast more than one vote. What felon is even going to waste his/her time even trying to fraudulently vote once for fear of doing more time? Just who is it that could possibly be trying to fraudulently vote or pretend they're someone else and vote? OK maybe a republican would, but given how difficult it is for some people to get to the polls or afford to take time out of work or get a baby-sitter or have the patience to wait it out... I can't imagine the hordes of voters enlisted in a scheme to fraudulently cast votes!
It's like Anthony Michael Hall's character in 'The Breakfast Club' when he's asked what he needed a fake ID for...
"So I can vote!"
This 'Protect the Vote' bullshit is analogous to this administration's 'Clean Air', 'Clear Skies', 'Clean Water', or whatever other completely innocuous false name they came up with to disguise their wicked designs...
Why can't they just stick to burglary, phone-jamming, robo-calls, purging voter lists, sending letters informing voters their polling places have changed when they haven't, instructing voters via mail or phone that election day is on Wednesday this year, falsely threatening jail to voters who may have parking tickets or warrants, or just flat out burning a cross???
BTW, wasn't Coulter supposed to be in trouble for REAL voter fraud?
by
C.Bid (0 articles, 7 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 570 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 12:04:24 AM
Another disappointing thing happened. The Holt bill didn't pass. The EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR SECURE ELECTIONS ACT is regarding helping local governments with funds for recount, audits and paper trails for electronic voting. It' was voted with full repub support in committee but 2 weeks later on the floor, the repubs bailed and it didn't get the 2/3 vote it needed. It almost seems like the repubs played a game.
Has anyone else heard about the mock Martial law that Tennessee did? I guess cops went and around and did this "knock and talk" rehearsal of Martial Law and even mentioned gun collection. That's about all I know.
We have come to that fork in the road. Democracy is gone. Tyranny is unfolding rather quickly now. Something is coming, a false flag event possibly. Freedom of speech is more like manipulated speech.
Cowinkeedink that Indiana just so happens to be the next Dem battleground? I don't think so.
by
shirley reese (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 211 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 1:24:05 AM
On a (less than) humorous note, when I first saw this article, the word "Scotus" reminded me of the word "Scrotum".....an interesting parallel to how our current government "sucks some serious weiner" and will probably continue on it's "weinish" ways. I don't see that there's much that we can do about it. Our votes don't count, so what's left....anarchy??!!
by
Galen (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 32 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 1:34:55 AM
from using obviously anti-gay terminology. "Sucking weiner" as you so quaintly put it, is not a bad thing. Most pleasurable for the giver and receiver.
But using it as a pejorative reference is decidedly anti-gay as it is painted as something wrong, or a practice that no one who is "normal" would indulge in.
Progressives should be above using anti-gay terminology.
by
fou (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 88 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 6:02:05 PM
Gender or alternative life-style bashing was the furthest thing (pun intended) from my mind when using this terminology. On a side note, I can't help but notice over the past decade how some of our most "righteous" leadership (religion and politics)has been caught in some of the most abberrant types of illicit behavior.....looks like "weiner" covers a wide swarth. heheh
by
Galen (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 32 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 7:53:30 PM
Voters shouldn't have to have proof they are who they say they are? If you believe this, than you REALLY are an idiot. No verification of I am who I say I am, OK, think I'll vote 7 times. THINK PEOPLE.
by
sbaker (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 95 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 6:21:52 AM
In some countries, after people vote, absolutely indelible ink is applied to a finger to make sure that they cannot vote more than one time. Would you support such a system here?
Also how about increasing the penalty for vote fraud. If a person intentionally commits vote fraud, put them to death. How about that? I could support that? How about you?
In King County Washington, over 3000 people voted illegally in the last gubernatorial race. Furthermore hundreds of unsigned absentee ballots were eventually counted even though they had been left in an unsecured area for weeks. Everyone knew that they were not to be counted because they did not comport with the requirement that they be signed, however bin after bin of unsecured unsigned ballots were eventually counted. It was this third and final count that tipped the election from the Republican who had won the first two countings over to the Democrat.
Vote fraud is the hallmark of both the Republicans and the Democrats.
by
M. Bennett (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments)
on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 1:10:34 PM
