Day: May 4, 2011

Vote–If You Can

From the VOMITORIUM

Meanwhile, back at the Constitution…….

My friend and loyal reader, Quin of Quintessential Havoc (Dammit!  Go to blogroll on right of site and visit a very well thought out site…..NOW!) have been having this exchange on voting in our two countries. He is against the AV vote and I understand why…..I wrote this to give him an idea of the silliness of this country and the people that want to eliminate some voters completely…the UK system is not looking so bad after, huh?

I like good political regurgitation from time to time, but there are times when it goes beyond pundit puke and becomes an attack on the rights of Americans…one of our fundamental rights that is guaranteed by the Constitution is that if you are a citizen and at least 18 years old you may vote …you can vote for mayor or gov or prez…..you can vote for whoever you want…..we have come a long way from the days when there were literacy tests or poll taxes or other such games used to keep some people, mostly minorities, away from the polls….the land of rights and freedoms…that is the US…..but in the wings are those little toads that want to find ways to keep some Americans, mostly minorities and elderly,  from voting….mainly because they vote one party over another…usually…..

An article by Ryan C. Ebersole brought this attempt to limit the people that vote to my attention……

It appears that the Republican Party may be turning to a new strategy to win elections this upcoming cycle. In 33 states, new laws have been proposed or enacted that make voter laws much stricter. These laws appear to be aimed at groups that are historically presumed to be Democratic voters, including the elderly, poor, disabled, minority and youth voters.These bills were introduced by Republican lawmakers under the premise of counter-acting voter fraud, when in fact no such phenomenon widely exists. Studies have shown that actual voter impersonation is so rare that it is practically non-existent.

While Republicans claim that the existence of voter fraud is so rampant that is has damaged their party’s electoral successes, in the past five years only 120 people have been charged with the crime, and only 86 were convicted.

When juxtaposed against the tens of millions who voted in 2008 alone, it seems almost comical that it would be the focus of such a concerted effort. Yet still, many on the far-right cited ACORN as complicit in “stealing” the 2008 presidential election.

How much of an impact might these laws have upon the American electorate? According to studies by the Advancement Project, approximately 11 percent of American citizens (21 million) lack a current government photo ID. Percentages are higher among specific groups: 25 percent of African Americans, 20 percent of 18-29 year olds, 15 percent of those who make under $35k annually, and 18 percent of senior citizens are without a current government-issued photo ID.

Sorry people, no matter how you to try and cut this story….it still is a chance for the GOP and its hidden donors to try and eliminate the competition….Now that would be a wonderful thing for our cloaked democracy (sarcasm, in case you missed it)….and if this is somehow successful then the next step in our democratic evolution will be an authoritarian, single party dictatorship…..now think hard…..does that sound familiar?  If it does not…then go back to SOPCOM4 and leave the debate to the adults!

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Today was going to be a day of post on Constitution related subjects,,,,more to come later…..but with all the debate and the noise about the death of Osama bin Laden; I found an interesting piece from Newser site…..it seems that the will of Osama has been located…..

Osama bin Laden didn’t want his wives to remarry or his children to become terrorists after his death, according to what a Kuwaiti newspaper says is a copy of his will. In the document—written on a computer, dated December 2001, and signed by “your brother Abu Abdullah Osama Muhammad bin Laden”—bin Laden claims responsibility for 9/11 and many other terrorist attacks, the Guardian reports. He laments betrayal around him, apologizes for being a neglectful dad, and advises his children not to join al-Qaeda or to join “the front” to wage jihad. “I have chosen a path fraught with dangers and endured hardships, disappointment and betrayal. If it wasn’t for betrayal, things would be different today,” the will states. “As for you, my sons, forgive me if I failed to devote more of my time to you since I answered the call to jihad.” The Kuwaiti paper hasn’t revealed how it obtained the will or if it was able to authenticate it. If it is genuine, Osama must have changed his mind about his children joining the fight: His youngest son appeared in terror videos and died in Sunday’s raid.

I found the information fascinating if it is true and accurate…..how about you guys?

Why Not Change The Constitution?

There seems to be a general viewpoint that we should change the Constitution in one way or the other……change it to reflect the pro-life stand or maybe to make sure that sharia law does not take hold or maybe we should change it to truly reflect equality that was promised (we can debate that part at a later date)….why not change the constitution?  Why not crap on the ideals of the founders?

I know…I know…that was a bit too much….but is it really?  There is a wealth of people out there that would change it in a second……but now ask what would we gain?

But if we try to change the constitution too much we could have the authoritarian rule that some are searching for……take a look at what Hungary has done when they fundamentally changed their constitution……

The new constitution will give Hungary, which currently holds the presidency of the EU, a legal framework in which nationalist and religious factors are decisive. The constitution reeks of Christian fundamentalist and nationalist ideology, which Fidesz calls the “national creed”. Hungarian lawyers have warned against underestimating the scope of the changes.The right to utilise a referendum to oppose political decisions has been considerably restricted. Generally, a referendum can no longer be instigated by popular demand, but only through a majority in parliament. Referendums calling for constitutional changes or to amend election law are completely excluded.

The most far-reaching change is the curtailment of the powers of the Supreme Court. In future, all Hungarians will not have recourse to this court, and access to it is also closed to local authorities. Only the president, the government or a group of at least a quarter of parliamentarians can demand a review of legislation by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court judges will no longer have any authority on matters of the state budget and taxes. The judges of Hungary’s highest court can now be re-elected following the end of their term of office, which was not possible before. This aims to ensure that the judicial system is permanently controlled by Fidesz, as is the case in the media and other bodies.

Europe is dealing with the rise of the nationalistic fervor…..and this success will crap all over the common person and give all the advantages to the rich and the corporations….wait!  Does that sound familiar?  Just as the authoritarian fervor rise in Europe, it is doing so here in the good old U. S. of A.  If the American people are not vigilant we will have to deal with this type of changes to our beloved constitution…..

There is an article I recent came across that covers this subject pretty good…..warning…it is a fairly lengthy article but an excellent read on the Constitution…….

http://bit.ly/mTu6BP

While we were asleep……we will lose a good portion of the rights and freedoms that our Founding Fathers want us to have…..can anyone say…..”tyranny of the minority”?