Ever since Republicans captured the majority in a number of state legislatures last November, they have systematically attempted to make it more difficult to vote … This legislative assault is moving in a diametrically opposed direction to 200 years of American history, when the arrow of progress pointed toward more political participation by more citizens. Republicans are among the most shrill in self-righteously lecturing other countries about the wonders of democracy; exporting democracy … was a signature policy of the Bush administration. But domestically, they don't want those people voting.
You can probably guess who those people are. Above all, anyone not likely to vote Republican. As Sarah Palin would imply, the people who are not Real Americans. Racial minorities. Immigrants. Muslims. Gays. Intellectuals. Basically, anyone who doesn't look, think, or talk like the GOP base …
Among the GOP base, there is constant harping about somebody else, some "other," who is deliberately, assiduously and with malice aforethought subverting the Good, the True and the Beautiful: Subversives. Commies. Socialists. Ragheads. Secular humanists. Blacks. Fags. Feminazis. The list may change with the political needs of the moment, but they always seem to need a scapegoat to hate and fear.In the Fascist Republic of Wisconsin, voter suppression has entered the execution phase. Under a new law, all citizens are required to show a form of photo ID to exercise their right to vote, and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has been tasked with issuing the new cards.
However, the DMV instructed all employees, in this memo, to provide free ID cards only if people ask for the fee to be waived. If citizens don’t ask, the charge is $28. Why keep secrets from the public? To charge a fee is tantamount to …
A POLL TAX
… which is a violation of Federal voting rights laws. To avoid having their precious Jim Crow knockoff struck down in Federal court, state officials have decreed: “Let there be subterfuge!” More than a scam, the new law is designed to place extra burdens on seniors, minorities, and students - those who vote for Democrats more often than Republicans - to suppress turnout. Furthermore, the new law gives GOP snakes more wiggle room to game the system, as Lofgren explains:
… in Wisconsin, Republicans have legislated photo IDs while simultaneously shutting Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices in Democratic constituencies while at the same time lengthening the hours of operation of DMV offices in GOP constituencies …At least one honest and forthright state employee was not about to let a good con job go unpublished. Chris Larson, an employee in the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), sent an email to all DSPS personnel notifying them of the fee waiver. Here is the actual email sent by Larson:
Do you know someone who votes that does not have a State ID that meets requirements to vote? Tell them they can go to the DMV/DOT and get a free ID card. However they must ask for the free ID. [A] memo was sent out by the 3rd in command of the DMV/DOT. The memo specifically told the employees at the DMV/DOT not to inform individuals that the ID’s are free. So if the individuals seeking to get the free ID does not ask for a free ID, they will have to pay for it!! Just wanted everyone to be informed!!
REMEMBER TO TELL ANYONE YOU KNOW!! ANYONE!! EVEN IF THEY DON’T NEED THE FREE ID, THEY MAY KNOW SOMEONE THAT DOES!! SO TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!”Hours later, Larson was fired.
If anyone hates us for our freedom, it's these pigs.
ReplyDeleteI just had my driver's license renewal come up. I had to bring my birth certificate, social security card, and proof of residence to renew the license.
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite sure but it seemed to me the woman at the DMV asked me in a faint German accent, "Your papers, pleeze", when I handed over my documents.
Alas, nothing so fortifies my view that America is a geriatric republic than this sort of thing. Thuggery is rampant, and almost "none dare call it treason." There isn't even the shadow of an excuse for making it harder to vote -- it's simply an onslaught against anyone who might be tempted not to vote "the Right way," and the evil, degenerate Nazi scumbags perpetrating it offer no apology but only their usual shit-ingesting grin.
ReplyDeleteI've run out of "out," I now can manage only inrage.
ReplyDelete"none dare call it treason"
ReplyDeleteWhy hold back? When a political cult is no longer a partner in government but an adversary by its own admission, one that trashes citizens’ rights and privileges the over-privileged, but impoverishes the population, then there is no other word more appropriate than “treason.”
I have not always felt this way, but I can no longer foresee a peaceful outcome, and it wouldn’t surprised me if, sooner or later, London-Cairo-Tunis-Tripoli style street riots start coming to cities in America. Not that I welcome it, but there is also a tipping point when citizens feel so abused by their leaders that they want to lash out.
By all means: Let’s call them “traitors.” When thugs overreach, an angry backlash can prevent a bloodbath.
I've run out of "out," I now can manage only inrage.
ReplyDeleteShaw,
In-rage is not healthy. There is an old saying: "Anger and depression are two sides of the same coin." What does this mean? When there is no healthy and constructive outlet for angry feelings, the tendency is to internalize anger and let it eat away from the inside resulting in depression. Political abuse is much like any other form of abuse, and "stuffing it" can cause real harm, emotional and physical.
That is why I think a healthy "outrage" is far more preferable than "in-rage."
According GOP Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN): Voter Fraud Happening Everywhere - But Prosecutors Wouldn't Take Cases
ReplyDelete"There are several cases that I presented to prosecutors who didn't take up the case, not because of a lack of evidence, but think about the kind of fraud it is, think about the kind of crime it is," Rokita said. "It's something that happens in an instant and than it's gone."
Bullshit because when Republicans accuse Democrats of voter fraud, the evidence is almost always bogus ... less than 0.003% of cases investigated. Its another red herring.
Voter fraud does happen but usually from the Republican side ... in the form of misinformation. One such example occurred during the Wisconsin recall vote in August when Americans for Prosperity, a Republican-leaning political advocacy group funded by David and Charles Koch of Koch Industries, distributed fliers in Democrat-leaning Wisconsin districts which advised voters to send in their votes two days after the election deadline.