J.S.: I have yet to see any D fraud. An R woman was arrested yesterday for trying to vote in Las Vegas and in Henderson. And the word Florida will be a synonym for voter suppression after this year's Rick Scott fiasco.
B.R.: Yeah Rick Scott needs to be held accountable once this is over.
Me: Well, I guess it's much better than a couple of goons dressed in black with nightsticks. http://swordattheready.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/black-panthers-at-polls.jpg
J.S.: Yes, a governor of one of the most populous states mandating that thousands of voters be left to wait up to 8 hours in chaotic lines, or having to drive hundreds of miles to get to the few early voting sites is way better than three mentally handicapped black men who ended up discouraging no one from voting.
Me: Absolutely.
J.S.: Here are the facts about the two guys: On Nov. 4, 2008, two NBPP members showed up, wearing military-style fatigues and berets, at a Philadelphia polling station, supposedly to protect black voters from having their rights violated. King Samir Shabazz, the local NBPP chapter leader, brandished a nightstick and made threatening remarks to voters (much of this was captured on a videotape reportedly made by GOP poll watchers). An eyewitness claimed that Samir Shabazz said, "Cracker, you are about to be ruled by a black man." Jerry Jackson, a certified Democratic poll watcher who also wore NBPP garb, accompanied him. Police officers arrived at the scene and forced Samir Shabazz to leave, though they allowed Jackson to stay. After the incident, the NBPP distanced itself from Samir Shabazz's actions and suspended the Philadelphia chapter.
Me: Correct.
As if their distancing was relevant: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/groups/new-black-panther-party
B.R.: VS...tens of thousands of American citizens in Florida, whose ability to cast their vote is being endangered by the restriction of early voting and the disregard of the confusion and mayhem that results. Rich, you don't actually believe the NBPP incident is more damaging to democracy than the current situation in Florida, do you? If so, please explain.
Me: Non-issue. People wait for days to get the latest i-phone, people wait for hours at the DMV, people wait overnight to see the latest movie. Let 'em wait. Oh, and the ballot is 12 pages long. How long would that ballot take to complete, and what might that contribute to the length of the lines?
J.S.: And let them eat cake while they're waiting too!
Me: absolutely. Their lack of planning is not our crisis.
C.B.: No, your crisis is having a state that is trying to influence the outcome of the election in ways never dreamed of by the folks who fought for the vote. Play fair!
Me: Florida duly and legally passed modifications to its early voting laws. There is no problem here. I see no reason to hyperventilate over hypotheticals, thereby raising this to a non-existent crisis. I happen to object to the whole idea of early voting. Elections should occur on election day.
J.R.: Apparently I have snapped. I'm finding this conversation completely entertaining.
Me: Welcome to my world...
J.R.: I wondered, Rich...
J.S.: This article from Mother Jones is illuminating about the many efforts being used to affect voter turnout. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/election-dirty-tricks
Politicians and their henchmen have lots of ways of messing with voters. Here are their favorites.
B.R.: Rich, if you don't want to admit that Florida's newly restrictive stance on early voting is a problem, would you at least admit that it's blatantly partisan? It's not a secret or a theory that a majority of voters affected by these changes are likely to vote Democrat.
B.R.: And comparing voting to "the latest i-phone, the DMV, the latest movie" is filled with holes: there's not a deadline for those visits that eliminates their ability to take part in their greatest American right. If you can't afford to wait in line for four to eight hours, you don't get to vote in the 2012 election. There's no alternative. It seems rather convenient that you're totally fine with this, and I'd like you to honestly question whether you'd feel the same way if Democrat governors were pulling the same election-season tricks.
Me: Blatantly partisan? Sure. That's what partisans do. What I find surprising is that so many who have been blatantly partisan for years are suddenly objecting to the partisan motivations of those who have passed perfectly legal legislation.
Me: My reason for listing those things is that people will get in line and wait as long as is necessary for something that is important to him. And lines do not discriminate. Liberals, conservatives, blacks, whites, and everyone in between is in line.
Me: Democratic governors? It was the Florida legislature. Would I be upset? I've been upset for years at the outrages perpetrated by a government hell-bent on dragging us right over the precipice. As I said before (for a different reason), welcome to my world and the world of those who lean right.
Me: I'm not particularly impressed by those who treat voting as some sort of church sacrament. Voting is not some sort of high worship expression. If voting were completely taken away, I doubt there would be anything taking place in government more outrageous than what is happening now. We are long past having a government of, by, and for the people. It's past the point of no return.
B.R.: Fascinating.
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