Just to piggy back on my earlier post about Mitt Romney’s epic fail of speaking at this week’s NAACP National Convention. I wanted to hit on something Chris pointed out on this morning’s show. That would be, the fact that Mitt Romney never mentioned anything about the Voting Rights Act while speaking to the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. As I pointed out earlier, Romney’s weak (and very lazy) attempt to appeal to the African-American vote shows that Romney truly doesn’t have the interest of the black electorate at heart.

Here’s a good discussion on the black vote being taken for-granted:

So here’s the question: is the Voting Rights Act even necessary in our new post-racial age? Of course I have my own opinions on the subject that is the removal of the Voting Rights Act and states having to adhere to federal rules. But, I’m really interested in hearing your thoughts on the subject. I mean, if the rights of voters are not as sacrosanct as once believed and constitutionally supported, then as conspicuous as that may be, why then is there even a need for voting right protections? Seriously, I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to answer that question.

But before I go, do me a favor and watch the following video from Chris Hayes’ show before attempting to answer the question posited above. Also, before answering the question here’s something to consider: according to the result of a Harvard study that shows how Texas’ changes affect voters presented this week, former President George W. Bush himself would be ineligible to vote in his home state of Texas (read it here). Now I’m not sure if many of us would agree that George would be a great future president. However, I do think we can all agree that he isn’t a minority, and that he is a Republican. Not exactly the target of disenfranchisement; but hey, so too is a retired World war II veterans in Florida who happens to be white, as well.

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Yes, the long pause and awkward grin was epic; and I’m pretty sure the thought of doing a jig at that very moment crossed his mind. Surely such a move would have been greatly appreciated and applauded by the hankerchief-head-wearing Negroes he had bused in after picking them out at the Rent-A-Negro Store. You know, the ones who aren’t into getting “free stuff,” who obviously have no intentions of voting for “the other guy,” because, they would rather pick cotton for free for Bain Capital in China. Yeah, those black people; the ones who love what they see when they look into Mitt Romney’s heart. Yep, the not-so-secret black folk openly willing to vote for Mitt, unlike his down-low black supporters somebody has obviously lied to him about. C’mon, y’know he made that up, right?

Hi, my name is. What? My name is. Who? My name is... Mitt Shady.

I just wanted to clear that up, just in case you may think all black people look alike, like Mitt Romney obviously does. Which is really funny when you think about it; because, there is no way black folks should vote for a guy who not only doesn’t know where and what bank his money sits; but also a guy who can’t remember lies about where and when he ran Bain Capital when we’re trying to find employment, in this terrible economy. Sorry pal, but I’m not buying your, “I’m the savior of black people,” sales pitch. And I don’t know what black leaders you’ve been talking to — my guess is that you’re confusing Jesse Lee Peterson for Jesse Jackson, because we all look alike — but if you think your speech was a winner, you won’t be back next year — it’s not like Mitt wants our vote.

This from Mother Jones:

Leonard Alkins, the former head of the Boston NAACP, has few fond memories of Romney’s tenure. ”There was no relationship between the NAACP in Boston and Gov. Mitt Romney and his administration,” Alkins says. “The only time that the NAACP had any interaction with the administration and the governor was to protest when he eliminated the affirmative action office.”

In one of his early acts as governor, Romneydumped the state’s office of affirmative actionand replaced it with the office of diversity and equal opportunity. In doing so, he invalidated a half-dozen executive orders establishing affirmative action policies for women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities; diversity training programs; and equal-opportunity standards for state contractors. Romney’s executive orderreplaced all of this with what was essentially a broad—and, Alkins says, “toothless”—commitment to “diversity.”

Romney didn’t inform civil rights groups about his plans before scrapping the affirmative action office, and the reaction from activists was harsh. The Massachusetts Black Caucus accused Romney of attempting to “virtually dismantle affirmative action in Massachusetts state government.”

Romney eventually appointed a diversity commission to examine his new policy. But, according to Alkins, the NAACP was excluded from the commission—until other commissioners spoke up. “He excluded the NAACP from serving on that special commission until we protested,” Alkins recalls.

Romney appointed Alkins to the commission, but the process didn’t go well. Instead of approving Romney’s policy, the commission worked to strengthen the policies he invalidated. Word leaked to the governor, Alkins says, and the co-chair of the commission, Ruth Bramson, who was also Romney’s chief human resources officer, refused to call any more meetings, thwarting the commission from voting on and issuing final recommendations. Bramson, who is now CEO of the Girl Scouts in eastern Massachusetts, refused to comment, saying she has to stay out of politics. The Romney campaign did not respond to a request for comment. But a Romney spokesman told the Bay State Guardian at the time that Bramson felt the committee’s work was done and no further meetings were necessary.

So, do you think Romney really has the interest of black folk at heart? In his speech this week he spoke of his father marching with civil rights activists in the 1960s. But clearly from a policy position, it’s obvious that he doesn’t give a damn about the well being of black folks or anyone outside of his income bracket. If he did, why then would he propose tax cuts for the rich while raising taxes on the middle class and working poor? But hey, let him tell it, he’s the best thing for black folks since Moses and Joseph Smith delivered us from slavery, Jim Crow, and George W. Bush.

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Of course I do0n’t have to tell you how they’ve been making it harder to vote in at least twenty two states with new Voter ID laws. You know, the answer to the problem that is “illegal aliens” voting in the past, that has yet to be proven to be factual? Well, thanks to Florida, this year instead of catching said “illegals” at the polls, they’re looking to strike them from the rolls all together. Yeah, you know, to preserve the integrity that is the American democratic tradition (?).

This from TPM:

Six members of Florida’s congressional delegation are pushing Gov. Rick Scott (R) to stop purging the state’s voting rolls of eligible voters, after numerous individuals were improperly flagged as non-citizens.

The state used an outdated driver’s license database in their initial effort to scrub non-citizens from the voting rolls. Officials believed that 182,000 voters on the rolls were non-citizens, and began sending out notifications that required voters to prove their citizenship within 30 days.

But plenty of legal U.S. citizens who should be allowed to vote wound up on the purge list. In Miami-Dade County, 1,638 people were flagged by the state as “non-citizens,” yet at least 359 people provided the county with proof of citizenship and another 26 people were identified by the county as U.S. citizens, ThinkProgress reported. An analysis by the Miami Herald found that Hispanic, Democratic and independent-minded voters were most likely to be targeted by the purge effort.

In a letter Tuesday to Scott, Reps. Ted Deutch, Alcee Hastings, Corrine Brown, Frederica Wilson, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Kathy Castor asked Scott to stop the purge, arguing that the process “fails to meet the basic standards of accountability.”

The members of Congress wrote that it would be “irresponsible to proceed so quickly and with so little room for oversight.”

“If the goal is truly to remove ineligible individuals who were intentionally or somehow mistakenly registered to vote, then that process must move forward in a nonpartisan manner with transparency, uniformity and great care,” the members of Congress wrote.

But RiPPa, why are you trippin’, fool? It ain’t like he’s targeting black folk like they did in 2000! Yeah, sure they aren’t targeting black people this time around; uh-huh, believe that shit if you like; yeah, be that stupid. My guess is that Florida Governor Rick Scott thought he was gonna get a pass doing this because everybody was too busy watching ‘Basketball Wives’ or some shit like that.

Sorry Rick Scott, just ’cause George Zimmerman got arrested doesn’t mean you get a pass on this one. If we let this shit slide in Florida, next thing you know, stuff like this is happening ti black voters in Tennessee and every other state and municipality controlled by those no good Republicans.

This is yet another example of just how systemic racism is in America today.

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This via The Real News Network:

We are here to say that incarceration has nothing to do with solving the problems of American society it has everything to do with putting people in their place repressing people and it’s time for this to end, we want jobs, education, health care, we do not want jails…right now the United States represents 5 percent of the world’s population but we incarcerate 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, this in a nation that’s obsessed with the idea of freedom, the question is why, why do we incarcerate so many people than other places in the world, we clearly don’t have the answers so we are here to say we have to stand up for people like Mumia Abu Jamal. - JOHANNA FERNANDEZ, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, BARUCH COLLEGE, CUNY

It is imperative that we continue to bare witness to the many injustices suffered particular by people of color and poor people in general, all across these United States of America – a country where as you know, said people are over-represented within the criminal justice system, by no accident.

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But before we get to that, what I do like is their attempt to show just how important it is for Liberal Orgs to have visitors produce identification when entering their offices or places of business. Once again, where they fail — just like with the argument about showing ID to board a plane — is in understanding the difference between rights and privileges. Trust me, there’s a very big difference between the two, folks. Yes, unlike voting, entering an office isn’t a constitutional right that has to be protected by government. I know, it’s hard to believe; but, it’s very true.

But where O’Keefe fails miserably, in my opinion, is in not being able to provide sufficient evidence to support the idea that this has in fact been a problem in the past. Sure, it’s easy to draw support for the argument that Voter ID is necessary. But it’s another thing to actually prove that this is exactly how this tactic has been a problem in the past. I don’t know, but I think this was what Eric Holder meant when he said there is no proof that the problem of voter fraud exists. Let’s be honest: what idiot would take a gamble in attempting to impersonate someone else at a polling station?

Call me crazy, but wouldn’t this be a rather risky undertaking especially since you don’t know whether John or Jane Doe has actually showed up to vote before attempting to do so? I mean, let’s say they didn’t, when they did, wouldn’t it be obvious then that someone has in fact stolen their ballot? Well, can O’Keefe or any of you idiots prove to me that their has been a rash of stolen ballots across the country in the last general election? Face it, this has only become an issue because the black guy won. Think I’m lying? Well, were there any Voter ID laws before 2008?

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A Philadelphia man was arrested on Friday after police say he dumped buckets of feces and urine at two separate downtown locations — the stairs of an open-air plaza, and inside an ATM vestibule.

According to the NYPD, about 8 p.m. on March 14, “Occupy Wall Street demonstrators” were seen dragging large buckets of feces and urine near an open-air plaza at the corner of Nassau and Cedar streets. The alleged occupiers then dumped out the buckets down the stairs of the outdoor plaza.

About 20 minutes later, one of the suspects went into a Chase ATM vestibule on Water Street. Like on the stairs of the plaza, the suspect dumped out a huge bucket of feces and urine inside of the vestibule.

Thank goodness for the See Something, Say Something, campaign because it was an alert by-stander that took down the license plate number of the van though to be used to transport the aromatic goods. The police were able to view video of the incident via several camera feeds. You know, this is WALL STREET and there are plenty of cameras on the big buildings that contain all the big money.

Jordan Brooks Amos, of Philadelphia was arrested on March 16, and charged with unlawful possession of noxious matter (also known as shit and piss), and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Oh, yeah, he also had a stun gun in the van so you know this guy obviously didn’t give a shit.

Wait..he did give a shit, buckets of it. Check the video and shake your head and hit yourself with a hammer if you though dumping doo doo was funny in college….or now.

OWS Dump from Village Voice Media on Vimeo.

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You might not agree with me, but it is in fact that serious. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not only sincerely misinformed, but either they’re willfully ignorant, unpatriotic, or maybe a Republican (?).

“We want to make sure that our elections are free from fraud. But they is no proof that our elections are marred by in person voter fraud.” -- U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder

Having said that, it’s good to know that we live in a nation that provides checks and balances to protect our rights, or a country where a vigilant citizenry is encouraged. Because as we all know, in this country we hold each other to the truth that all men are created equal. Yes, even with our problems, this is what we should all aspire to achieve and hold each other accountable to. Having said that, listen to the words of US Attorney General Eric Holder in an interview with NBC’s Pete Williams, on the subject of voter suppression, and more specifically, the issue of voter ID laws.

As the Attorney General says in the following interview, “What were talking here is a constitutional right. This is not a privilege. The right to vote is something that fundamental to who we are as Americans. We have people who have given their lives, people have sacrificed a great deal in order for people to have the right to vote. It’s what distinguishes the United States from most other countries.” But maybe none of this means anything to you; if so, I guess it can be said that you’re not as patriotic as some of us.

But then again, Eric Holder being a black man like our president makes him unintelligent. Which means you’re racist, and quite naturally would explain why you disagree with the Department of Justice’s recent decision to  block Texas’ attempt to disenfranchise Latino voters.

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I’ve had many a people tell me that obtaining an ID to vote should be no big deal. Hell, I’ve been told that identification is required to board a plane, so it shouldn’t be a big deal having to produce one to cast a ballot. Well, last time I checked, unlike flying in an airplane, voting is a right and not a privilege; yes, there’s a big difference.

Besides, I don’t recall terrorists ever taking innocent and unsuspecting voters hostage at voting precincts. Sorry, there is no terrorist voter watch list. But just in case you’re worried about a terrorist standing in the voting booth beside you, do listen to my main man, Rev. Al Sharpton:

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Yes, according to South Carolina’s Attorney General, over 900 dead people voted in the last election cycle. And of course this is a huge problem, because as you know, dead folks tend to vote mostly for Democrats as opposed to Republicans. So in an attempt to counter this “problem” of people voting their self-interest as opposed to that of wealthy people who are alive and well, South Carolina has passed legislation requiring all voters to produce state issued identification to cast votes. This is obviously good strategy especially since there are no DMV offices in either heaven, hell, or purgatory. Without dead voters being able to apply and secure the necessary identification as the new law requires, one can expect less votes for Democrats much to the delight of Republican politicians. Of course this sounds much like voter suppression, but these days you can’t be too careful when it comes to zombies. I mean really, can you expect someone who eats brains to be able to posses good judgement?

According to the South carolina Election Commission, this isn’t as big as a problem as we’re being told. According to their recent investigation, there seems to be no record of dead voters casting ballots; nope, none for the Republicans, or even the Democrats. So why then is the Republican Attorney General concerned about dead people voting? Could it be that like everyone else who tends to vote for Democrats, dead voters are also concerned with living? I mean think about it, there are more dead people than there are living. That said, if you were a Republican politician, wouldn’t you be worried about the possibility of Democrats gaining an advantage by cornering the majority of the zombie vote? It’s bad enough that Democrats have managed to corner the vote of loyal African Americans. If they get the dead people, then it’s hello socialism and welfare forever.

But anywhichaways, the investigation found that there were 207 fraudulent votes cast in 2010 by suspected dead people. Yeah I know, 207 sounds a lot less than 900; but hey, that’s just me. However, at any rate, here’s what the investigation concluded about the 207 “fraudulent” votes cast by dead people i8n South Carolina. Lemme tell you, these dead folks are a indeed a tricky bunch:

The State Election Commission said Thursday that 95 percent of the 207 allegedly dead people who voted in the 2010 general election either were alive and cast ballots legally or did not vote. [...]

Of its review of the 207 contested votes cast in 2010, the commission found:

• 106 votes were clerical errors by poll workers – mistakes like marking John Doe Sr. instead of John Doe Jr.

• 56 votes were “bad data matching” – meaning the state Department of Motor Vehicles, which raised concerns about zombie voters, was wrong in assuming the voters were dead.

• 32 votes were “voter participation errors,” meaning someone was credited as voting in an election when they did not, most likely because of a stray mark on the voter rolls that was electronically scanned to record a voter’s participation.

• Three ballots were cast absentee by voters who died before Election Day.

So here’s the question: why create a Voter ID law when there’s no evidence of voter fraud committed by people who are actually alive, or even dead? No really, forget the whole systemic racism and disenfranchisement argument for a minute. Why are we creating laws to suppress the zombie vote when clearly there are no dead people voting in South Carolina? I mean, this may be a problem in other states, but clearly evidence shows that it isn’t in South Carolina. Furthermore, why would anyone want to make it harder for dead people to vote anyway? Life is hard as is; I’m pretty sure death is much of the same. U’m no expert, but it seems like the Republican party should spend more energy and effort in an outreach program to dead voters instead of lying about them. If they did, I’m sure us among the living would appreciate not becoming collateral damage.

All in all, it’s pretty sad that even dead people are being played like minorities by the GOP.

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If you remember South Carolina is the state that brought us Rep. Joe Wilson and his infamous rebel yell, “You lie!” And who could forget the antebellum-era, “slavery was the shit,” Republican shindig last year. Maybe the best thing to happen in South Carolina was the emergence of surprise Democratic mid-term election candidate, Alvin Greene. But he didn’t win, so go figure. South Carolina also happens to be, well, pretty racist; and, it was the first state to secede from the union. Having said that, it really should be no surprise that South Carolina is bent on disenfranchising black voters:

COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s new voter photo identification law appears to be hitting black precincts in the state the hardest, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

For instance, nearly half the voters who cast ballots at a historically black college in Columbia lack state-issued photo identification and could face problems voting in next year’s presidential election, according to the analysis of precinct-level data provided by the state Election Commission.[...]

[A]mong the state’s 2,134 precincts, there are 10 where nearly all of the law’s affect falls on nonwhite voters who don’t have a state- issued driver’s license or ID card, a total of 1,977 voters.

The same holds true for white voters in a number of precincts, but the overall effect is much more spread out and involves fewer total voters: There are 44 precincts where only white voters are affected, or 1,831 people in all.

The precinct that votes at Benedict College’s campus center has 2,790 voters, including nine white voters. In that precinct, 1,343 of the precinct’s nonwhite voters lack state identification, but only five white voters do. The former group accounts for 48 percent of the precinct’s voters.[...]

A precinct at South Carolina State University has 2,305 active voters, including 33 white voters. There, 800 nonwhite voters and 17 white voters there lack state IDs. More than a third of the voters in the precinct lack state photo identification. (source)

Pardon my sardonic wit, but with South Carolina being South Carolina, and the Republican party being champions of many causes — most importantly civil rights — does it surprise you that this is what’s happening? Is it any surprise that Herman Cain — the HNIC of the Republican party — will actually win the South Carolina primary? President Barack Obama won big in South Carolina in 2008 Democratic primary. Having said that, I don’t see Gov. Nikki Haley making time to give black voters rides to the DMV (like she said she would) to get those newly required identification for the purpose of voting. But I could be wrong; heck, Nikki Haley being a Native American, makes her  a minority, no? Surely like every Republican politician, Gov. Haley understands the just how much of a step back this must be for black folks in South Carolina. But then again, maybe they’re still pissed at Abraham Lincoln for freeing the slaves. If he didn’t, there’d be no Herman Cain; imagine that.

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