2oth century redux, especially if you're an American who
happens to be Black, wants to vote in 2012, and lives in a state where the
Roveian-Norquist voter suppression strategy has been unleashed. They'll substitute "fraud" as the
operative word. They'll claim that's what
their efforts are all about,... 'nationwide prosecutions for fraud have
escalated, therefore, voter ID in all of its legal manifestations must be enacted
to preserve the system of Democratically elected representatives.' And Apple Pie.
Preserve? That's not
what happens when state legislatures enact laws which serve as barriers to the
ballot box. It's analogous to pre-1965 deep south polling place efforts to make
Black voters guess the number of jelly
beans in a bowl, and worse.
These paragons of the 'democratic way' have broadened their
net to assure the purity of voting in
From the Bush
administration's five-year national "war on voter fraud, " there
were only 86 convictions of illegal voting out of more than 196 million
votes cast. Of those 86 convictions, only
26 were attributable to individual voters , and most of those were
misunderstandings about eligibility.
(click here)
What is more, connection to voter fraud in a federal election carries grave punishments, including a $10,000 fine and five years in prison, in addition to any state penalties. This is a risk that very few people are willing to take, particularly for the result of one incremental vote.
This Roveian-Norquistian
guise, this smoke screen is thin and
fails to mask capricious hypocisy, blatant racism and the throw back to Billy
Holiday's words "Southern trees bear strange fruit; Blood
on the leaves and blood at the root; Black bodies swinging in the southern
breeze; Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees." That became the ulimate expression of suppression
and much more.
It is during times of economic hardship and deprivation when certain elements of our population need little or no external urging to abuse the civil rights of their fellow citizens who differ only superficially as too age, pigmentation, or economic status. Introducing the possibility that voter fraud is intended by members of one or more of these disliked groups ignites the long simmering disaffection for that group, ushering in a rush to judgment and pursuit of vigilante justice.
In 2011, the state of Florida imposed a short deadline for the submission of voter registration forms, with stiff penalties for late filing. [ 1 ] The bill led to the end of voter registration work by one organization, the League of Women Voters, whose spokesperson said, "Despite the fact that the League of Women Voters is one of the nation's most respected civic organizations, with a 91-year history of registering and educating voters, we will be unable to comply with the egregious provisions contained in [this bill]." [ 2 ] Suppression of Organizations Getting Out The Vote The League will counter in court.
The United States is the only democracy in the world that regularly bans large numbers of felons (over 5 million) from voting after they have discharged their sentences. Many countries including Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Norway, Peru, Sweden, and Zimbabwe allow prisoners to vote (unless convicted of crimes against the electoral system). [13] Some countries, notably the U.K., disenfranchise people for only as long as they are in prison.
This form of vote suppression in the United States disproportionately affects minorities including African-Americans and Latinos.[13]Disenfranchisement of felons and ex-felons is opposed by some as a form of the medieval practice of civil death.[14]
Will this nation be able to avoid the Redux of "Strange Fruit: Hanging from the Poplar Tree?"
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