100,000 March to Keep the Vote Alive in Atlanta
As the picture shows, a massive throng marched through Atlanta on Sat. to "Keep the Vote Alive". Why, then, did the local mouthpiece of the ruling elite, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, downplay the size and scope of the event by reporting, seven paragraphs deep, only "thousands" marched? Oh never mind, just a rhetorical question... An Atlanta TV station, WSBTV, did report on the scope of the event. Thousands March To 'Keep Vote Alive' "An estimated 100,000 people from all over the U.S. jammed downtown Atlanta and marched with Rev. Jesse Jackson to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act - and to urge Congress to renew the historic piece of legislation... Politicians from Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin to U.S. Reps. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) joined entertainers Harry Belafonte and Stevie Wonder and thousands of chanting and singing demonstrators for the "Keep The Vote Alive" event... that streamed down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and wound up at Morris Brown College's Herndon Stadium for a rally. Organizers hope the Congress and President Bush will extend key provisions of the landmark law, which was signed in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson. The law expires in 2007. "Forty years later, we're still marching for the right to vote," said U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), who participated in the civil rights struggles that helped secure passage of the law. "Don't give up, don't give in. Keep the faith, keep your eyes on the prize...."
The AJC does provide a photo slide show, if you care to take a gander...
In that AJC excuse for coverage of the event, they dug up the so-called controversy in renewing parts of the VRA, and dragged one of democrats.com's least favorite creepy-crawlies out from under her rock. Namely one Abigail Thernstrom, the Bush Junta's "Weapon of Mass Deception" vice-chairwoman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission...
...Two key provisions of the Voting Rights Act are up for reauthorization The one most likely to spark controversy is Section 5. It requires nine states -- including Georgia -- and parts of seven others, each with a long history of discrimination at the ballot box before 1965, to get federal approval before enacting any changes in their electoral laws. That includes alterations in the boundaries of congressional districts and moving a polling station.
Critics of plans to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act say Section 5 was intended to be a temporary measure, and conditions have changed dramatically since 1965.
Brian Robinson, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, (R-Ga.), said recently, "The congressman feels quite strongly that Section 5 should apply to every state in the nation or it should apply to none of them."
Abigail Thernstrom, vice-chairwoman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, said voters claiming discrimination can mount their challenge in courts.
"They've got the 14th Amendment. They don't need Section 5," she told the Washington Post last week.
The other -- Section 203 -- requires election officials to assist immigrant voters who don't speak English by providing them with voting material in their native language...
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March to save the vote
The time has come to organize massive marches on Crawford, Tx and then Washington demanding Bush fire Karl Rove and then have the good grace to resign. Time to return to the tactics of Martin Luther King since our politicians are basically useless.
Firing Rove is insufficient...he will just ...
operate extralegally from a different location. Rove needs to go to prison for a fairly lengthy spell to keep him from continuing his reoationship with Bush.
Some other names are now surfacing which show clearly how rotten this bunch is: Add Karen Hughes and (gasp)...Mary Matelin--interesting isnt it.
No Coverage Seen On Television
This was a great event and not one mention on television all weekend. It is amazing how this administration can manipulate the media.
A great example is the latest story on Saudi Arabia closing offices due to terror alert. They are closing the country so Cheney and old man Bush can attend the funeral.
About 15,000-20,000
I was at the march and it was great! Unfortunately, there was probably about 15-20 thousand people from all over the country. I base this on the fact that Herndon stadium holds 20,000 and it was only 3/4 of the way full. Even so it was a good turnout and I was proud to have been a part of it. Now, on the Washington!!
Thanks for all that you
Thanks for all that you do.
For those, like me, who aren't totally familiar with the terms "Yellow Dog," or "Blue Dog," see the following link for an overview:
http://www.yellowdogdemocrat.com/history.htm
I just found out that I am a Yellow Dog Democrat -- I think.
Thanks, Bill. ( aside to YD Blues Hound)
According to the definition here, I'm a Yellow Dog Democrat, also.
Yellow Dog Blues Hound, is this also connected with your blog name?
Thanks, YD Blues.I knew
Thanks, YD Blues.
I knew there was a connection.
Once upon a time I voted bipartisan.(mainly Democrat, however)
I haven't done that for quite some time.
Bushie really defined the lines and the
neocons. I want no part of their agenda.
PS. Jim gets real excited from time to time.
You are not "Dead Meat!" Jim, get more sleep, dude!
Love Ya, ;-)
Now if they'd all just head for Texas...
I'm so glad to see somebody cares! I hope a group like that shows up in Crawford.
Support the Women's Autonomy and Sexual Sovereignty Movements
I think everybody knows what George Bush will do
Given Bush's history and the fact that he certainly doesn't care what the citizens of America want, this act is history. Unfortunatly we have a government that does not repond to the people and we have let that happen. A million marches and petitions won't have any effect. They don't care what you want.We want someone else to do things for us, take care of us and tell us not to worry, because we don't have the time to check out these people. Our vote is based on some 30 second add that runs on TV. Republicans have learned to read the public and act accordingly. Democrats have not. They know that Democrats won't fight back, like Kerry and Gore, no matter what you say about them. What's the public to think, "they won't fight for us" either? Look at every candidate that has taken the high road, stuck to the issues and stayed out of the mud. They lost. Why do we keep doing that? From the looks of who is running our party and what they say every day, they are going to do it again. Politics is a dirty game where anything that you can use should be used if you want to win. That's the way it has always been and Republicans know that, we don't. We had to kick the winning horse in the name of fairness. Why? The real reason is because we won't take the time to dig the dirt so we say that things like that is unfair and not necessary. Republicans hit the ground digging while we rest by the pool and talk of educating the voters. Now we are on the outside looking in, and to me, that sucks. You want to win again, start digging and hit them with it first, just like the good old days? Preaching to the choir dosen't get you any new votes. You have our vote. I am looking and hoping for some Democrat to step forward and say,"I am not afraid of these people, I will fight with every means available to rid our government of them, I do not like or respect any of them and I will play as much hard ball as they want". America will get behind a person like this.
Hispanics sue Kissimmee over
Hispanics sue Kissimmee over voting system
Process dilutes voting power, plaintiffs say
Orlando- Hispanic and black activists asked a federal judge Monday to force Kissimmee to change how city commissioners are elected in the latest effort to increase political clout for Latino voters in Florida.
The six activists sued the city in US District Court in Orlando, alleging the system of electing commissioners citywide rather than by districts violates the federal Voting Rights Act by weakening the voting power of Hispanics who now make up about 45 percent of the city's population. The city has never had a Hispanic commissioner.
snip
Monday's complaint follows a similar lawsuit that was filed two weeks ago by the US Department of Justice in an effort to force Osceola County to change from electing commissioners from a countywide to a districtwide basis. Kissimmee, with ap population of 52,000 residents just south of Orlando, is the county seat of Osceola County. whose population of 206,000 is more than a third Hispanic.
The Kissimmee lawsuit didn't have the backing of the Justice Department, and the activists hadn't even retained an attorney
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/12280269.htm
See? There will be 10,000 of these attempts to obtain fair representation nationwide before 2008, and no one will notice. What should be a major political battle about voting rights will be fragmented into thousands of obscure scrimishes and not a damned thing will be accomplished. Except maybe more "out of court settlements of an undisclosed amounts". Like the one in 2000.
Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie, but rather mourn the apathetic throng, the coward and the meek who see the world's great anguish and its wrong, and dare not speak.
Ralph Chaplin