I am Reprizing a blog piece I especially like (if I do say so myself) in honor of Martin Luther King on King day. I am not sure if I mention him in this but surely it's obviously pertaining to what he was about and so I present it in his honor. (originally published June 26, this year in repsonse to supreme court decision on voting rights act).
New York Times,
6/25/2013
6/25/2013
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday effectively struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by a 5-to-4 vote, freeing nine states, mostly in the South, to change their election laws without advance federal approval.
The court divided along ideological lines, and the two sides drew sharply different lessons from the history of the civil rights movement and the nation’s progress in rooting out racial discrimination in voting. At the core of the disagreement was whether racial minorities continued to face barriers to voting in states with a history of discrimination.“Our country has changed,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote for the majority. “While any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions.”The decision will have immediate practical consequences. Texas announced shortly after the decision that a voter identification law that had been blocked would go into effect immediately, and that redistricting maps there would no longer need federal approval. Changes in voting procedures in the places that had been covered by the law, including ones concerning restrictions on early voting, will now be subject only to after-the-fact litigation.
So the question is, is this just more political hot air, or is this a
time to take a stand? To answer that question I ask "what is the
relationship between this questoin and the Gospel?" Is doing away with
the voting rights act a matter of not living up to the truth of the
Gospel? What Jesus say about politics? His statement "render unto Cesar
the things that are Cesar's, and unto God that which is God's" (Mark
12:17, Mat 22:15-22) should be a clue. Funny thing about that, he didn't
seem to be ready to start a tax revolt. He seemed to think they the
Romans do some stuff for us, (ever see the Life of Brion?)
so springing for some Taxes to pay for it shouldn't be that big a deal.
Yet, what belongs to God? Human life belongs to God, so things that
destroy life, or that make it impossible to preach the Gospel or keep it
from being heard, one would think do not belong to Cesar. But surely
the voting rights act has nothing to do with that stuff, it's just a
little voting. We might think voting belongs to Caesar because it's
politics, and Cesar is king of politics, politics is of the world. Is
that the answer right wing fundamentalists use when they field armies
for the Republicans? Caesar is not a democratic figure. He's a symbol of
power, becuase the real Cesar was a dictator. Cesar is a symbol of the
power elite, the temporal realm. We have to decide weather or not
democracy is more than just a silly little game of politically minded
pundits, or is it a sacred right and duty to allow people the dignity
that goes with being made in God's image?
Paul tells us there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor
female in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:28). We might infer from this that class
divisions and race divisions are wrong. Discrimination is wrong. We
might infer that "love your neighbor as yourself" means don't take away
her civil rights? We have forgotten the horrible price that was paid,
the struggle, how long it took, it bitter and divisive it was for whites
who watched it on tv, and for blacks and the few whites who dared who
lived it and died for it in real life. The dogs the fire hoses all
things of the past no one thinks about that the young of tv of today
never new. I actually watched live as cops in Alabama sicked dogs on
defenseless women and sprayed them with fire hoses to keep them from
sharing the same rights that white men enjoy.
Of course the court denies that we will have to do this again. The
court's logic is based upon a sham argument about how we have changed:
“Our country has changed,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote for the majority. “While any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions.”(see NYT Link above)
The redistricting plan that Texas is putting into effect means that the
Replicans will never be out of office in Texas. It will change the
balance of power in congress. Texas is notorious for Gerrymandering (we
call it "Perrymandering."--that's really how Rick Perry got in office).
They re-draw the distinctions every time the Democrats do better in an
election.
As for the argument that the country has changed, I have a black friend
who was denied a hair cut in barbershop in Farmer's Branch Texas in
1992. That is the same community that tried to start it's own
immigration service to kick out Spanish speakers and tried to make
English the official language. How long before decisions regarding those
things get reversed? This is a right wing coup d'etat. The same
kind of mentality I talked about before, perhaps a bit more rational.
But the same refusal to admit the people want the other guys. We don't
care what the people, we are the country not the people. We the rulers,
the elite, "the good Chrsitains," the right wing, we are the real
people, the poor don't count.
It's going to take a long time to build up to the point where we can have another civil rights movement. We had a election stolen from us in 2000. They did everything they could to stop blacks form voting in Floria so they could steal the election and put Bush in.
Independent investigations in that state revealed serious irregularities directed mostly against ethnic minorities and low-income residents who usually voted heavily Democratic. Some 36,000 newly registered voters were turned away because their names had never been added to the voter rolls by Florida’s secretary of state Kathleen Harris. By virtue of the office she held, Harris presided over the state’s election process while herself being an active member of the Bush Jr. state-wide campaign committee. Other voters were turned away because they were declared--almost always incorrectly--“convicted felons.” In several Democratic precincts, state officials closed the polls early, leaving lines of would-be voters stranded.Under orders from Governor Jeb Bush (Bush Jr.’s brother), state troopers near polling sites delayed people for hours while searching their cars. Some precincts required two photo IDs which many citizens do not have. The requirement under Florida law was only one photo ID. Passed just before the election, this law itself posed a special difficulty for low-income or elderly voters who did not have drivers licenses or other photo IDs. Uncounted ballot boxes went missing or were found in unexplained places or were never collected from certain African-American precincts. During the recount, GOP agitators shipped in from Washington D.C. by the Republican national leadership stormed the Dale County Canvassing Board, punched and kicked one of the officials, shouted and banged on their office doors, and generally created a climate of intimidation that caused the board to abandon its recount and accept the dubious pro-Bush tally.[1]
In the next election, 2004, there were irregularities that help up blacks form voting in states like Ohio
and Missouri. But as injustice mounts it will take time to prove it,
time to prove the extent of it, time for the next court to conclude "ma
bye things aren't that different after all." In the mean time a lot of
"eschatology" is going hit the fan.
As Phil Ochs said "let it never be again." Now it will be.
[1] For these various irregularities, see New York Times, 30 November 2000 and 15 July 2001; Boston Globe, 30 November 2000 and 10 March 2001. A relevant documentary is Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election, L.A. Independent Media Center Film, 2004. (the author's fn form his site).
I fee I should include the comments made back in June when this first appeared:
I fee I should include the comments made back in June when this first appeared:
8 comments:
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Kristen said...
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As Christians we have a dual citizenship - in the Kingdom of God and in
our own particular countries. We are not meant to withdraw from our
earthly citizenship, but to work to see justice done there. I'm sure
you agree-- as did MLK, Jr., who died a martyr for justice on earth. But
he did it for the sake of the kingdom of God as well-- because part of
being in the kingdom of God means doing whatever is in our power for
"least of these."
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1:47 PM
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Well said Kristen.
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4:23 AM
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David Brainerd said...
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If there is going to be something like the Voting Rights Act it should
apply equally to ALL states. Nitpicking certain states is
unconstitutional.
And you should be required to show a photo id to vote. Nobody is so poor they can't get one. After all, you need one when you go to the welfare office. Do you think the social security administration doesn't ask for a photo id? Then all the welfare brats have them already, so why the fuss? Oh, because illegal aliens can't get them? Well, actually, they seems to all have driver's licenses!!!! A photo id will not stop anyone from voting once, but it will stop people from voting TWICE or THREE times in the same election. And there's the rub. Democrat homosexual abortionist scumwad atheist animals can't win without voting multiple times, as they say "early and often." Their motto for voting is the same as their motto for sexual depravity. And anyone who says anything against what I just wrote, damn them to hell. Amen.
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10:15 PM
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MB: "If there is going to be something like the Voting Rights Act it
should apply equally to ALL states. Nitpicking certain states is
unconstitutional."
Voting rights act does apply to all states. The focus is on states where we know there are problems and vote has been restricted.
your thing about photo ides. how deeply you hate the children of poor hu? Poor need to be killed hu? their children are vermin that need to die hu?
Photo id is thin end of wedge. btw I doubt that you know all the practices of every stat vis vi getting welfare.
those evil poor people if it wasn't for them you would be a billion air right? they take billions of Dollars right out of your pocket.
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6:09 AM
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"Democrat homosexual abortionist scumwad atheist animals can't win
without voting multiple times, as they say "early and often." Their
motto for voting is the same as their motto for sexual depravity. And
anyone who says anything against what I just wrote, damn them to hell.
Amen. on Does Voting Belon"
He who loves knows God, for God is love. 1 John. you only care about the bible verses help you hu?
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6:12 AM
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David Brainerd said...
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1. Anyone who thinks that the voting right act applies equally to all
states is completely brain-dead. It simply says that the Federal
Government gets veto power over any voting laws passed by certain
states. Ergo, New York can pass any voting laws they want without
interference from the Feds. No equal.
2. Children of the poor? Since when are children allowed to vote? Rich or poor, you have to be 18 to vote, which is another good reason for having voter id laws!!!!!
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3:35 PM
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Voting rights act applies to all states: section five is specially
designed for southern states that were discriminating heavily at the
time (1965) but the provisions of the full act are for all states. The
section five provides for judicial review so they could employ those in
any state.
here
"The Voting Rights Act of 1965 protects every American against racial discrimination in voting. This law also protects the voting rights of many people who have limited English skills. It stands for the principle that everyone's vote is equal, and that neither race nor language should shut any of us out of the political process. You can find the Voting Rights Act in the United States Code at 42 U.S.C. 1973 to 1973aa-6. "
"No. The Voting Rights Act is a permanent federal law. Moreover, the equal right to vote regardless of race or color is protected by the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which has been part of our law since the end of the Civil War. And in case after case, our courts have held that the right to vote is fundamental. Voting rights will not expire.
However, some sections of the Voting Rights Act needed to be renewed to remain in effect. When Congress amended and strengthened the Voting Rights Act in 1982, it extended the preclearance requirement of Section 5, the authority to use federal observers, and some of the statute's language minority requirements. In 2006, Congress passed the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights and Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 which renews nearly all of the temporary provisions of the Voting Rights Act. The rest of the Voting Rights Act also will continue to prohibit discrimination in voting. "
"What is Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act?
Section 5 is a special provision of the statute (42 U.S.C. 1973c) that requires state and local governments in certain parts of the country to get federal approval (known as"preclearance") before implementing any changes they want to make in their voting procedures: anything from moving a polling place to changing district lines in the county.
Under Section 5, a covered state, county or local government entity must demonstrate to federal authorities that the voting change in question (1) does not have a racially discriminatory purpose; and (2) will not make minority voters worse off than they were prior to the change (i.e. the change will not be "retrogressive").
Section 5 applies to all or parts of the following states:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
California
Florida
Georgia
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi"
you got your sheet out of moth balls didn't you?
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8:49 AM
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what's Michigan doing there? that's not in the south. they can't persecute yankees too can they?
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8:50 AM
