From the Washington Post:
McDonnell in hot water over nonviolent felons' rights
By Anita Kumar
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 11, 2010
RICHMOND -- For the second time in a week, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has angered black leaders and civil rights groups, this time when they learned of his plans to add another step for nonviolent felons to have their voting rights restored.
McDonnell (R) will require the offenders to submit an essay outlining their contributions to society since their release, turning a nearly automatic process into a subjective one that some say may prevent poor, less-educated or minority residents from being allowed to vote.
"It's another roadblock," Sen. Yvonne B. Miller (D-Norfolk), a member of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, said when she was told of the change.
Miller has repeatedly introduced unsuccessful bills to allow nonviolent offenders to have their rights restored automatically. "This is designed to suppress the rights of poor people," she said.
You understand that? You've paid your' debt to society', and on top of an application process, he wanted ex-felons to SUBMIT AN ESSAY. Just exactly WHO would be reading those essays? WHO was going to determine what WAS and WAS NOT an acceptable essay?
This is nothing more than an attempt to reinstate LITERACY TESTS.
Let me say it again, quoting Dennis Green:
THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE.
Plain and simple.
He thought that he could just roll on in and reinstate LITERACY TESTS, and folks would be hunky dory about it.
They really don't think Black folk can read. Or that we can comprehend what he is attempting to do.
This story came out on Sunday, by Monday night, he was backtracking, saying that this was just in the ' draft' stages, except for the not-so-small FACT, that WaPo and the Rachel Maddow show, produced LETTERS TO EX-FELONS telling them to send in their ESSAYS.
Then, once it was clear that his ass was busted on that, then Tuesday or Wednesday, he was blaming some low-level staffer.
You're not slick Governor. Folks can see you up close and personal.
This is about VOTER SUPPRESSION, plain and simple. That voting rights aren't restored automatically is a form of voter suppression.
Virginia turned BLUE in 2008, and these lowlife mofos are determined to 'correct' that in 2012.
He is EVERY BIT the right-wing nutcase that Town and other JJP posters warned us he would be. He hasn't disappointed one bit, cause nobody here was fooled by his extremism.
Rachel Maddow did 2 pieces this week on McDonnell and his backtracking on this issue.
This is from Tuesday's Show:
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This is from Wednesday's Show:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
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2 comments:
Just wow!
They don't even try to hide it anymore. It's like a thief robbing a bank with no mask. It's as if they want people to know what they are up to.
There are no excuses of McDonnel here - this is repulsive behaviour.
The whole point of a democracy is that the government of governance is done via the consent of the people.
Whenever you have criteria where 'the people' can be limited or altered or perverted, then you are - by definition - destroying the democratic system.
Firstly, the education system is grossly underfunded, making more people not intelligent enough to pass the bar. Secondly, as all the statistics show, non-whites have lower literacy rates than whites. Thirdly, there is no accountability to how the essays will be assessed.
But more importantly, the burden of proof is forced onto the person: you may have been good and well behaved, but I don't believe you; you have to prove that you've been good by telling me.
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