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| A System Eroding |
| 2009-06-04 |
| The Justice Department has told Georgia that the state cannot impose its proof-of-citizenship requirements at the ballot box. The corrupting of American elections continues. The order came only days before it was reported that Justice had decided in the middle of May it would drop a complaint against three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The men, who reportedly uttered racial slurs while dressed in paramilitary clothing, had been accused of intimidating voters on Election Day last year at a Philadelphia precinct. The Washington Times says that "political appointees" at Justice "overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint." Federal authorities had charged King Samir Shabazz, who carried a nightstick at the voting precinct, Malik Zulu Shabazz and Jerry Jackson of violating the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That same Justice Department told Georgia last week that it cannot check Social Security numbers and driver's license data to confirm U.S. citizenship of prospective voters. The department reasoned that the state's system was often inaccurate and has a "discriminatory effect." But what could be more inaccurate than having no system at all to confirm that the people voting in American elections are truly Americans? We have to agree with Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, who said that "politics took priority over common sense and good public policy." As far as we can tell, there is no organized effort anywhere to stop genuine citizens from voting -- unless the three men in Philadelphia whose actions have been officially condoned at the federal level can be considered an organized effort. Yet it appears that Justice wants to make sure noncitizens have the same access to the American ballot box as citizens, and either doesn't care where that leads or is part of an attempt to make transformational changes to the U.S. system of government. That same federal department, by dropping the case against members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, has also clearly indicated that groups willing to resort to violence, both real and implied, to hijack elections are free to harass Americans on their way to the voting booth. No election system is flawless, but our method for placing officials in office is the cleanest the world has known. We have peaceful revolutions at regular intervals, and voters are confident that, despite its imperfections, the process delivers the best possible outcomes. Either by intent or accident, the Justice Department is undermining our faith in this unique system. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 it will be interesting when a district gets 101% voter participation |
| Posted by: airandee 2009-06-04 13:18 |
| #6 SCOTUS and the Dread Scott ? |
| Posted by: newc 2009-06-04 12:29 |
| #5 Besoeker, you are brilliant!!!! |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2009-06-04 11:57 |
| #4 The inevitable plodding trek of demographics is catching up with us. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2009-06-04 10:53 |
| #3 Solution: We're going 'GREEN' accurizing, saving time and money! Ballots are no longer available at polling places. They will be mailed out with Georgia State income tax returns. You pay no taxes, sorry....no ticky no ride! Phuech you Justice Dept! Have a nice day. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-06-04 08:05 |
| #2 It will go to SCOTUS with the conflicting ruling by the Appeals level on the Arizona case covering the same issue. Of course SCOTUS will have Ms. Wise on the panel by then. They could also continue to punish Georgia [and ten other former Confederate states] forty years and two generations after the Voters Rights Act [or a hundred and forty years after the last American Civil War] for actions of their ancestors. Some are more equal than others. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-06-04 07:55 |
| #1 The Justice Department has told Georgia that the state cannot impose its proof-of-citizenship requirements at the ballot box Planning for 2012 already? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-06-04 05:16 |