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Storytime Tapestry Newsletter The newsletter devoted to spreading love
and cultural awareness around the world. March 13, 2008
Today’s Announcement
Don’t
forget to order your copy of Angels Watching Over Me, the story of an ordinary
woman facing less than ordinary challenges.
Angels Watching Over Me is a story of family love, sacrifices, poverty
and an undying faith that makes heroes out of all of us. Here is the link in
case you have forgotten it: http://www.lulu.com/content/964306 Important notice: Storytime Tapestry is a free e-zine, however donations are always needed to help with the operating expenses of running the newsletter and to keep Storytime Tapestry the quality newsletter you are so accustomed to. You can make your donations to paypal at: winterose@videotron.ca, or if you would prefer to use the mail system contact the publisher at the same email address: winterose@videotron.ca Today’s Stories ~**~**~ SUPRESSING THE VOTE: LEGALLY Duane Bates The defining characteristic of any democracy is the process of
citizens voting to elect their government.
Our Constitution grants the right to vote to every citizen over a
specified age (currently 18) to vote in Federal, state and local elections if
they register to vote. Some states
revoke the right to vote to convicted felons for life while other do not or
allow convicted felons who have served their terms to vote. States can also
purge their voting rolls based on a number of parameters, but purging must take
place 90 or more days prior to an election to allow appeals by a person who’s
named has been improperly purged. The ostensible goal of our democracy is clear: to allow every
citizen the opportunity to vote and express their preference for our elected
officials at every level of government; to create a government of the people
for the people and by the people. The
reality has been, and is, quite different, with our history of legal and
illegal discrimination against African-American voters now being morphed into
an attempt to suppress the votes of all low income Americans by requiring rigid
rules to obtain an expensive photo ID to cast a vote. You would think that in the worlds’ greatest democracy every
elected official would view the goal of achieving the highest rate of voter
participation an almost sacred task, but idealism is often at odds with
short-term and political and economic desires. Even in the earliest days of our
Republic voting was restricted to males (white of course) who were of a certain
age and a possessors of a certain amount of wealth. The voting record of Americans, when compared to other developed
democracies is poor and has gotten worse in the last 35 years, especially for
the off-year elections that do not involve a presidential race. During the 1960s about 59% of registered
voters voted during a presidential election year and about 47% voted in the
off-year elections. Since 1974 the
voting rate for presidential elections has dropped to an average rate 52%, a
decline of 12% and the voting rate for off-year elections has dropped to and
average of 37%, a 20% decline. There was an improvement in the elections of
2004 to 55% and 2006 to 43%. All calculations are based on the number of actual
votes and the number of registered voters.
When we compare the actual votes to the number of persons
eligible to register and vote the participation of Americans is even
worse. Only about 60-70% of eligible
Americans actually register to vote. In
the last six presidential elections an average of 93 million eligible Americans
either did not register to vote or registered and did not vote. In the last six off-year elections an
average of 129 million eligible American either did not register or registered
and did not vote. In 2004, the last
presidential election 122 million eligible Americans did not vote and in the
2006 off-year elections 140 million eligible Americans did not vote. The current US population, men, women and
children, is slightly over 300 million, with about 221 million persons eligible
to vote Over the years I have discussed this issue with people of all
ages and educational levels who are very pleased about our low voter
participation rates. The basic
philosophy of these persons is that if another American does not think and vote
the way he or she does they should not be allowed to vote. I had one college professor tell me that
since he had a certified IQ over 140 he should get more than one vote because
he is able to make better decisions as the result of his superior intelligence.
Universal suffrage does not seem to have universal support in America. The self-suppression of votes by millions of apathetic Americans
eligible to vote makes the votes that are cast have more impact in the
election. It also makes the election
results easier to control and manipulate.
When I examine the declining participation rate of Americans at the
polls I have to wonder if the millions of non-voting Americans really
understand the importance of their non-votes to the nation and to themselves. Is this decline in voting by the young, the uneducated and the
poor a reflection of a failure of our educational system, the increasing income
and wealth chasm, or is it a fundamental cultural change that reflects a belief
by many that our political system has been so gerrymandered there is simply no
point in voting? I have posted below a link to an article that deals with the
current efforts of a number of states to install a system that would require a
government issued photo ID to vote. A
case involving such a law passed in Indiana, supported by the Bush
administration, is being considered by the Supreme Court after it was
challenged as unconstitutional. Critics
of the proposed photo ID standard point out that tens of millions of Americans
do not currently have the required photo IDs and that many poor Americans do
not have the money to acquire one. A significant number if older Americans, again primarily poor
whites and African-American, do not have the legal documents, such as birth
certificates, that are required as proof of to obtain state issued photo
IDs. It seems to make no difference
that you have held a job and filed income tax returns for decades, have a
Social Security card, paid property taxes or have any of the other
identifications that we all normally acquire in living our lives, you must
present the required documents and pay the required fees of you don’t get a
photo ID and ergo you don’t
vote. Non-voters become essentially
invisible in the political process. This rigid approach to voting IDs is just another legalistic,
sophisticated method designed to suppress the vote of those unable to afford to
pay, or obtain the necessary documents, for, the required photo IDs because of
our internalized fear resulting from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. It is also an unspoken indication of the
perceived value, or the lack thereof, of the Americans unable to meet these
rigid requirements. We are seemingly willing to accept restrictions on our rights
because of, in my opinion, vastly exaggerated threats of more terrorists’
attacks? It appears that some of our elected officials visualize a massive
invasion of Islamic terrorists that will obtain fraudulent documents that will
allow them to vote and control our electoral process. Or perhaps they are just
using that vision to achieve their own agenda. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22806147/ Duane Bates batesduane@yahoo.com Poetry Corner ~**~**~ Until Forever Tim Kevin - Until stars have lost their
sparkle Until the sun refuses to shine Until the flowers fail to
bloom You will always be forever
mine. - Until lightning ceases to
strike Until the snowflakes stop
falling Until rainbows have no ending Your name I'll always be calling - Until eternal time stops
ticking Until skies are no longer
blue, Until my heart stops beating I'll always be in love with
you - By The Irish Warlock irishwarlock@webtv.net Copyright © 2004, All
rights reserved ~**~**~ Tim Kevin - Moonlight is shimmering upon
the sea A place deserted except for
you and me. Take me in your arms, let your
love flow, Hold me forever close an never
let me go. - Make love to me beneath the
midnight sky Passions rampant and hearts
flying high. Let us stay forever in this
magic paradise, Never looking back once or
thinking twice - Yes darling the darkness I
will fight Many many a restless sleepless
night Spending the hours searching
for you Hoping each night our love to
renew - Reaching out in a passionate
embrace Wanting to place kisses upon
your face Looking thru the mist for your
lovely lips Not to miss like two fog bound
ships - I can feel your presence tho
miles apart Your magic always able to stir
my heart Awaking too, the love I want
so much I wildly surrender my body to
your touch - Lost passionately in
moonstruck rapture Our love spanning an
everlasting future Never losing the wild burning
desire Being consumed by it's
unending fire. - by ... Irish Warlock Copyright © 2003 - ~**~**~ Tim Kevin Tim Kevin If There Were An Extra Day A Week I'd Spend It Talking to faraway friends on the phone Be swept away by love til it seems unreal Lay in the grass and Indulge in a dream irishwarlock@webtv.net Readers
Feedback ~**~**~ I had a problem once that I didn't
know what to do, so I wrote to the governor and they helped me. It may take a
couple months but it will help if you want to try it.
Here is our Storytime Tapestry Angels: Also, I would like to
thank those of you who chose to be a silent angel and gave an
anonymous donation to keep Storytime Tapestry up and running. Clara Westerfer, Mark Crider, Rosanne Catalano, Paula Booher, Kay Seefeldt, Mariane Holbrook, Mary Ellen Grisham, Louise Nomani, Sharon Bryant, Angela Walker, Hart and Helen Dowd, Keith Ready, Ginger Morgenstern, Ellie Braun-Haley, Surinder Jandu, Bob Shaw, Carol Meeks, Charlotte Hilliard, Marilyn Sink, Victor Buhagiar, Clarice Hinson, Conrad
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| << March12, 2008 - Carol's Corner - The Publisher's Personal Column |
March13, 2008 - Inspirations - A Joe Mazzella Column >> |
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