J. Kenneth Blackwell – The J. Is For Jim Crow
Unlike most western democracies, the United States only became a democracy some 40 years ago with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Our country hired federal registrars, who were allowed to pack sidearms to break the tyranny of racist white Dixiecrats.
Now we have the new Jim Crow. You get a black man to do what Bull Connor and George Wallace did forty years ago. J. Kenneth is shrinking the electorate. He’s targeting minority and poor voters. He’s making it a crime to register people to vote. He’s doing the bidding of objectively racist white politicians like Republican Senator Jeff Jacobson of Vandalia, Ohio. The Secretary of State has come up with his interpretation of new registration rules. If you register new voters, you must deliver each voter’s new registration form in person within ten days to the Board of Elections in each person’s county of residence or face fifth degree felony charges.
This is the same Blackwell who threw out 356 votes in Franklin County because voters were in the right precinct, but pollworkers gave them a provisional ballot. This is the same hater of poor and minorities and ass-kisser to the rich, who returned voters’ registration forms because they weren’t on 80-lb. unwaxed white paper. This is J. Kenneth Blackwell, a black face on a red neck.
Got this today, now the the non-profit voter registration drives have more government restrictions on their activities. Welcome to OUR “FREE”, ” less government”, DEMO-cracy! I called Hottinger’s office and got the disclaimer that “it just means that these groups have to attend a training seminar.” I said that I just don’t want anyother junk put in on the bill and yes, well here it is, they did not mention this about the felony!!!!
Note to myself: Call Hottinger and complain 466-5838.
Notice from Colorofchange NGO:
Thank you for taking action to protect voting rights in Ohio. Eleven thousand of us emailed JCARR members, urging them to reject Blackwell’s rules governing voting registration efforts. In the end, JCARR accepted Blackwell’s rules along strict party lines: all 6 Republicans voted in favor; all 4 Democrats opposed them. Even so, ColorOfChange.org members and allied groups sent a strong message to state politicians in Ohio–and we gained strength, insight and solid experience through the process.
Of course, we hate to come up short, especially when fundamental rights are at stake. But at times like these, we still choose to hold our heads high. To paraphrase the legendary Michael Jordan: “We can accept losing. We can’t accept not trying.”
We will never stand aside and let our people’s rights be trampled without taking a strong stand. Sometimes we will win. Sometimes we will lose. But we believe that, through all the ups and downs, in time, our movement to restore democracy in the United States will prevail.
Thank You and Peace,
— James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
June 27th, 2006
Thank folks at http://www.Colorofchange.org !