Per KCStar: NAACP to challenge state voting laws before U.N. panel in Geneva

[Major Harris]

Really? So the US isn't using the UN to force our national will upon Iran, and we didn't use it for both Iraq wars? (not to mention our role in Serbia, and using the UN for political cover for not engaging in Rwanda and Darfur, and pushing other nations toward Western standards of human rights etc) Seriously, for as much as the Right hates the UN they love it when the UN serves to do the US's bidding.

you are missing what i am saying. i agree that the us gov't does what you are describing, but the us people as a whole do not care for the un regardless. (at least in my experience)

[AsburySkinsFan]

you are missing what i am saying. i agree that the us gov't does what you are describing, but the us people as a whole do not care for the un regardless. (at least in my experience)

Then you need to stop hanging out with just Righties.

---------- Post added March-15th-2012 at 09:44 AM ----------

Maybe the UN should be pressuring the Moroccan govt to change Article 475 of their penal code which allowed an adult male to marry his 16 year old rape victim to escape prosecution. She killed herself by eating rat poison after the marriage. But yeah, our voter ID laws suppress human rights....

Siting the deplorable laws in one of the most oppressive countries in the world as proof that disenfranchising voters is not a human rights issue is a bit juvenile don't you think?

I can hear this in a criminal court room now, "But your honor I couldn't have committed a crime by stealing that man's TV, because the guy in the next cell to me killed a guy!"

[Major Harris]

Then you need to stop hanging out with just Righties. ;)"

lol...i hang out with lefties, righties, middies, crazies...i don't know anyone that really LIKES the un. some hate it more than others, some are indifferent, but i don't know anyone who is a cheerleader for the un, in any circumstance, like you described earlier.

[AsburySkinsFan]

lol...i hang out with lefties, righties, middies, crazies...i don't know anyone that really LIKES the un. some hate it more than others, some are indifferent, but i don't know anyone who is a cheerleader for the un, in any circumstance, like you described earlier.

I'm not exactly sure that I said there were cheerleaders either...and I just reread what I wrote...what I meant was that we as Americans have little no issue with the UN when they are doing what we want, like inspecting Iran's nuclear facilities, but when the eye of the UN turns against us (or even if there is a hint that it might) we are too quick to flip the bird. We like being able to hold others to accountability, but hate the very thought that someone might do the same to us. That's my point.

[Popeman38]

Siting the deplorable laws in one of the most oppressive countries in the world as proof that disenfranchising voters is not a human rights issue is a bit juvenile don't you think?

I can hear this in a criminal court room now, "But your honor I couldn't have committed a crime by stealing that man's TV, because the guy in the next cell to me killed a guy!"

ASF, most of the world looks at our human and civil rights as quite liberal. What is being presented to the UN is the equivalent of saying, "yeah, we are free but they are making it difficult to be free and lazy". It requires literally $2/year (some states are free) and a couple hours to obtain a state issued ID. over the course of a year, people spend more time debating what to eat for lunch than will be required to obtain this ID. No one is being truly disenfranchised. But you can rest assured there will be literally thousands of manufactured disenfranchisement stories in the next months.

[The Sisko]

The NAACP. Proving that this year's GOP candidates don't have the market cornered on crazy.

you are just ASKING for it, aren't you?

...not when he's right. The NAACP ceased to be relevant decades ago.

As for the voter ID laws, I agree that the true intent is to discourage certain groups from voting based on the nonsensical argument that there's enough voter fraud to affect elections.

[China]

Can someone post evidence of wide spread, in-person, indentity voter fraud?

pEmqnPEe-zE

[Major Harris]

We like being able to hold others to accountability, but hate the very thought that someone might do the same to us. That's my point.

well, duh...that's human nature brother.

[AsburySkinsFan]

ASF, most of the world looks at our human and civil rights as quite liberal. What is being presented to the UN is the equivalent of saying, "yeah, we are free but they are making it difficult to be free and lazy". It requires literally $2/year (some states are free) and a couple hours to obtain a state issued ID. over the course of a year, people spend more time debating what to eat for lunch than will be required to obtain this ID. No one is being truly disenfranchised. But you can rest assured there will be literally thousands of manufactured disenfranchisement stories in the next months.

And the very fact that you're charging people for the right to vote is disenfranchisement. Thanks for proving the case.

---------- Post added March-15th-2012 at 12:11 PM ----------

well, duh...that's human nature brother.

So maybe we as Americans can wake up and pull up our big girl pants and grow up and receive some of the accountability we force upon others. Good for the goose.

[Major Harris]

So maybe we as Americans can wake up and pull up our big girl pants and grow up and receive some of the accountability we force upon others. Good for the goose.

i think there is more of a disconnect between our gov't and "we" than you do.

i don't disagree with you fundamentally though...

[elkabong82]

How do the poor come up short regards having a legitimate ID (driver's license or simple valid ID)? I also think the convicted felons could be reconsidered but it's a safe bet that demographic may also be the most apathetic voting block in all of society.

Not all have proof of residence or their name on a bill or other things necessary to acquire an ID. What about the homeless or those who live in motels? Do they not get a voice as well?

Apathy among former felons is an easy assumption to make, but who's to say that once given the ability to vote that they don't go ahead and do so, especially to voice their concern over being treated essentially as second-class citizens the rest of their life despite serving their time, the justice system saying they are normal citizens again, in a majority-Christian nation that doesn't typically show forgiveness in action?

[Teller]

...not when he's right. The NAACP ceased to be relevant decades ago.

Suck it, Packer.

[elkabong82]

Suck it, Packer.

so long as there is still racist practices going on, overt or subconscious, the NAACP serves a purpose, no matter how much some people want to marginalize it. Sure they have members and others who go overboard at times, but it seems only the ones with an agenda against them focus on the negatives and ignore the positives.

http://www.ksn.com/news/local/story/NAACP-joins-effort-to-save-Wichita-elementary/-NllxBht6Uunu11enGPFPg.cspx

[Teller]

so long as there is still racist practices going on, overt or subconscious, the NAACP serves a purpose, no matter how much some people want to marginalize it. Sure they have members and others who go overboard at times, but it seems only the ones with an agenda against them focus on the negatives and ignore the positives.

Um, maybe you're not familiar with Yusuf's background, but I am. So thanks for playing.

[deejaydana]

Not all have proof of residence or their name on a bill or other things necessary to acquire an ID. What about the homeless or those who live in motels? Do they not get a voice as well?

Apathy among former felons is an easy assumption to make, but who's to say that once given the ability to vote that they don't go ahead and do so, especially to voice their concern over being treated essentially as second-class citizens the rest of their life despite serving their time, the justice system saying they are normal citizens again, in a majority-Christian nation that doesn't typically show forgiveness in action?

OK, I'll.give you some % of society cannot obtain that ID. I'm fairly sure it amounts to a fraction of 1% of our population. What do those people do when they need to make other purchases or transactions requiring an ID? Legitimate voters are in general motivated people so this overall is a weak point by the DOJ. Obama just wants to hold onto the immigrant vote, who cares if they're here legally? Pelosi has stated publically she doesn't.

[PokerPacker]

Suck it, Packer.

hey, now, I'm just looking out for your best interests.

[The Sisko]

so long as there is still racist practices going on, overt or subconscious, the NAACP serves a purpose, no matter how much some people want to marginalize it. Sure they have members and others who go overboard at times, but it seems only the ones with an agenda against them focus on the negatives and ignore the positives.

http://www.ksn.com/news/local/story/NAACP-joins-effort-to-save-Wichita-elementary/-NllxBht6Uunu11enGPFPg.cspx

HA! As H_H alluded to, I am indeed a member of the extra melanin club. I do respect their history but all of those civil rights era groups except the Southerrn Poverty Law Center have failed to keep up with the times and remain relevant. Just as they failed to notice that we're not "Colored" anymore, they've also failed to realize that their tactics and worldview are outdated.

OK, I'll.give you some % of society cannot obtain that ID. I'm fairly sure it amounts to a fraction of 1% of our population. What do those people do when they need to make other purchases or transactions requiring an ID? Legitimate voters are in general motivated people so this overall is a weak point by the DOJ. Obama just wants to hold onto the immigrant vote, who cares if they're here legally? Pelosi has stated publically she doesn't.

So a policy that disenfranchised Eskimos/Inuit would be OK? After all they're an inconsequentially small % of the population as well.

I'm sorry but when one looks at the big picture and takes into account the voter suppression tactics the GOP has pulled recently, as in post Jim Crowto disenfranchise minorities it paints a clear picture IMHO.

I'll pre-state the de-rigeur "But the Libs do it too" response. Kindly dispense with that and just post examples. And no, the alleged Black Panther incident doesn't count. I'm looking for examples where a whole district would be affected as in the voter suppression tactics linked to above. And while you're at it, please explain the lack of righteous indignation about this compared to the claims of alleged voter fraud. After all it seems to me if one is a true patriot, the idea of one person being wrongfully denied their vote should produce more outrage than 100 allowed to vote fraudulently.

[HoustonSkin]

IF states want to pass these laws they should agree on a state id and then provide one to every citizen for free, if democracy is so great and making sure fraud does not happen is so important then these should be reasonable.

I agree, I think this is reasonable. I think if someone does not already have an otherwise valid form of photo ID to use to prove who they are, and they want to vote, they should be able to get a Voter ID Card for free.

The arguments that Voter ID laws may disenfranchise minorities are worth hearing, but the when someone says that the laws are being made to purposefully target minorities, I have to call BS on that. I would think that everyone would be against voter fraud, but apparently not. Bring an alternative solution to the table if you don't like the one being proposed. Voting is a basic right that all people should have and should not be overly burdened when trying to exercise, but it is also important enough to protect the integrity of it.

[Thiebear]

Not all have proof of residence or their name on a bill or other things necessary to acquire an ID. What about the homeless or those who live in motels? Do they not get a voice as well?

Apathy among former felons is an easy assumption to make, but who's to say that once given the ability to vote that they don't go ahead and do so, especially to voice their concern over being treated essentially as second-class citizens the rest of their life despite serving their time, the justice system saying they are normal citizens again, in a majority-Christian nation that doesn't typically show forgiveness in action?

Again: you're discussing the .003% (and i'm sure as we get the 99.997% ID for 2$ a year we can multitask for the influx of no ID homeless and hotel living personnel the same we do now with supplemental ballots.

[deejaydana]

HA! As H_H alluded to, I am indeed a member of the extra melanin club. I do respect their history but all of those civil rights era groups except the Southerrn Poverty Law Center have failed to keep up with the times and remain relevant. Just as they failed to notice that we're not "Colored" anymore, they've also failed to realize that their tactics and worldview are outdated.

So a policy that disenfranchised Eskimos/Inuit would be OK? After all they're an inconsequentially small % of the population as well.

I'm sorry but when one looks at the big picture and takes into account the voter suppression tactics the GOP has pulled recently, as in post Jim Crowto disenfranchise minorities it paints a clear picture IMHO.

I'll pre-state the de-rigeur "But the Libs do it too" response. Kindly dispense with that and just post examples. And no, the alleged Black Panther incident doesn't count. I'm looking for examples where a whole district would be affected as in the voter suppression tactics linked to above. And while you're at it, please explain the lack of righteous indignation about this compared to the claims of alleged voter fraud. After all it seems to me if one is a true patriot, the idea of one person being wrongfully denied their vote should produce more outrage than 100 allowed to vote fraudulently.

Actually a "true patriot" would be equally perturbed with both voting misdeeds as you outline above. I'm not dismissing any % of the populace being denied their chance to vote but what I have issue with is if not valid ID's for use, then what? And why is the NAACP taking this to the UN and appealing to leaders from countries who have, at best, horrendous records of allowing their own people to vote?

[DRSmith]

I agree, I think this is reasonable. I think if someone does not already have an otherwise valid form of photo ID to use to prove who they are, and they want to vote, they should be able to get a Voter ID Card for free.

The arguments that Voter ID laws may disenfranchise minorities are worth hearing, but the when someone says that the laws are being made to purposefully target minorities, I have to call BS on that. I would think that everyone would be against voter fraud, but apparently not. Bring an alternative solution to the table if you don't like the one being proposed. Voting is a basic right that all people should have and should not be overly burdened when trying to exercise, but it is also important enough to protect the integrity of it.

I find it funny though the people who complain about regulation seem to want to make more regulations that restict what can be used as id I never understood espicially in our present electronic age why a national id that can be used as a passport also could not be issues to all citizens

[Thiebear]

I find it funny though the people who complain about regulation seem to want to make more regulations that restict what can be used as id I never understood espicially in our present electronic age why a national id that can be used as a passport also could not be issues to all citizens

Even if you are in the percent of a fraction, you can still get some form of ID that will then allow you to vote as you should. It will also leave an audit trail for review on fraud/waste/abuse.

ID should be simple to obtain, even by those with with only fingerprints.

and for those without, i'm sure we can find another way.