Rosie Lewis will be voting, will you?

None of the presidential candidates or their VPs are talking about poverty, but one of them is talking about religion and values.

"CASTLE ROCK, Colo. -Paul Ryan squeezed in time on a four-stop, five-state day for a conference call with evangelical voters Sunday evening, issuing a warning about a second Obama term saying the president is putting the country on a "dangerous path" that compromises "Judeo-Christian, Western civilization values."

Evangelical leader Ralph Reed's influential group, the Faith and Freedom Coalition, hosted the call and Reed said "tens of thousands" of Evangelical Christians were listening in.

The GOP vice presidential nominee said in the "critical battleground states" it will make a "big difference" if people "are worried about…whether or not we're going to go down the path the president has put us on."

"It's a dangerous path," Ryan said on his opening remarks on the call, which has been rescheduled at least once. "It's a path that grows government, restricts freedom and liberty, and compromises those values, those Judeo-Christian, Western civilization values that made us such a great an exceptional nation in the first place."

Ryan talks about his Catholic faith frequently on the trail, but this evening he went into more detail when a caller from Florida asked him how his faith has given him and his family courage throughout the campaign. Ryan said it "sustains us on a daily basis" and "we pray throughout the day," noting he keeps a rosary in his pocket.

"It keeps us, keeps us humble, it keeps us strong, it keeps us in a great place, it gives us peace of mind," Ryan said. "First prayer I say every morning is the serenity prayer."

"Prayer"?  Doesn't this guy worship at the foot of Ayn Rand? The last time I checked Rand was an atheist. Besides, good "Judeo Christians" do not lie about their marathon times , nor do they take away the safety net from those in need.

Still, politicians who talk about values scare me. Are they going to force their values on me? My values might not square with what their idea of "traditional" values should be.

Anyway, tomorrow is the day of reckoning. It's going to be a long night for some of you folks. If O wins I will watch FOX 24/7 just for laughs. If the  robot wins, I will be here for you Obamaholics to vent. I have broad shoulders; you all can come right here for a good cry. But take heart, just think of all the fun we will have for the next four years. 

One person who won't be happy if Obama losses is Rosie Lewis. Rosie will be voting for the first time. Rosie, bless her soul, is 99 years old. Yes, 99!

"A 99-year-old, Obama-loving Fort Myers, Fla., woman voted for the first time in her life after skipping 24 presidential elections, NBC 2 reports.

Rosie Lewis filled out her mail-in ballot in her modest Fort Myers home last week in her favorite chair with her Bible near by. Given that Lewis was 7-years-old when women were granted the right to vote in the U.S. under the 19th Amendment and was in her 50s when Jim Crow laws were abolished, her long wait to cast her ballot comes with a few historical explanations.
SEE ALSO:

But now that she is voting in this crucial election, Lewis is making no secret of who she wants to win. “I love Obama,” she said." [Source]

So do a lot of other Negroes Miss Rosie.

Folks, regardless of who you vote for; just make sure that you go out and vote tomorrow. It's important to make your voice count before money (and those with it) renders you totally insignificant.  

I won't tell you who I am voting for, but I will be crip- walking to the voting booth. :)

*Pic from News One.



   





    

Reconstruction Redux.

Do you Negroes remember what happened to you after Reconstruction in these divided states of A-merry-ca? If you don't, let me remind you: Those white folks in states like Louisiana, South Carolina and Mississippi were so terrified that you made up the majority of the population and had the right to vote after the 15th Amendment of the Constitution was ratified, that they unleashed the type of terror on you never seen before in this country. (This is right around the time that the klan was formed.) Paramilitary groups, lynchings, beatings, voter intimidation; anything to keep you Negroes away from the voting booths and out of power. Yes sir, as soon as old Rutherford Hayes removed those federal troops from the South you Negroes caught hell.

It's sad, because we missed a golden opportunity in our country's history. The rate of black illiteracy declined by almost 60% during this time. Blacks were being elected to public offices in record numbers, (BTW, contrary to popular beliefs; not all the blacks elected to office during that time was corrupt) and blacks were becoming "economically self sufficient" and more educated.

But alas, this was not to last. (Just call me black Shakespeare) Our Southern brothers and sisters in the majority population made sure of that. Thanks to new state constitutions in places like Mississippi, the voting process became rigged. And with the help of poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses; seeing a Negro in the voting booth became as rare as a redneck with all his teeth.

So fast forward to Reconstruction Redux. (My name for what we are currently experiencing in A-merry-ca.) A black man elected president. Hope and change in the air. Negroes and progressives feeling downright giddy about A-merry-ca's future, and.....well, just like with the old reconstruction; there is a push back.

Here in Pistolvania and in other states where there are republican controlled state houses across the country, everything is being done to make sure that you Negroes don't go to the voting booths and have any impact on our national electoral process ever again.

"Top state Republicans are throwing their political heft behind a plan to change the way Pennsylvania elects a president, setting the stage for a showdown this fall over whether the move would wipe out Pennsylvania's clout in national elections.

A brigade that reads like a who's who of legislative Republicans wants to do away with the winner-take-all system of apportioning the state's electoral votes and replace it with one that would do so by congressional district.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware), who is leading the charge, argues that the change will make the system fairer and more representative, and says that a bill could be voted on this fall, in time for the 2012 presidential election. Gov. Corbett has said he would support it.
Democrats counter that the proposed change is not only blatantly political - designed to give GOP candidates the edge - but also bad for Pennsylvania, as it will diminish the state's role in deciding who occupies the White House.

To that, Pileggi says: "This concept about clout and perceived importance is secondary to making sure that individual voters have a say in who the president is."

He added: "Everyone agrees Pennsylvania is one of the more diverse states in the union, and that diversity is not reflected in the current winner-takes-all sytsem."

Huh?

Folks let me explain how this works for you: Under the current system the most votes from the state wins all 21 electoral college votes. Under the New Reconstruction model there would be an electoral college vote for each congressional district won. This means that all you Negroes voting in places like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh could only affect the electoral college votes so much, because all those congressional districts where you Negroes don't exist would have just as much clout as you do, even though there is far less people in those areas.

"In 2012, after redistricting, Pennsylvania will have 20 electoral votes and 18 congressional districts. Under Pileggi's proposal, each of the districts would elect one presidential elector; the other two would be apportioned on the basis of the popular vote.

Only two other states allocate electoral votes by congressional district, Maine and Nebraska.

Pileggi and other GOP leaders in the legislature, all of whom are expressing support for the effort, argue the proposed new system will more closely reflect the popular will of voters." [Source]

Mississippi 1865!




 

Was this man a racist, or just a guy trying to make the Negro voter feel more comfortable?

*
I am feeling good right about now, because I just watched my birds thump the Colts. But a quick rant: The NFL has got to do something about the officiating in their league. I know they want to cut down on injuries, but this is tackle--- not touch football. There was nothing illegal about this hit.

Anyway, I don't usually do this, but I have known this blogger for a long time. He sent me a post of a recent experience he had, and I think it is important enough to share. Dude was seriously pissed off after recently going to vote and realising that some folks were unfortunately still stuck in the sixties.

"When Voting And Racism Collide:

Meet John Barr; [*Pictured above] Ypsilanti Township, Mich racist.

I met John this past Tuesday (Nov 2) when I went to my polling location to vote.

Backstory:

Over the last few months, I had been debating how I would vote for Mich governor. I was or torn between voting for a republican whom I felt was competent and a needed change for the state or voting for the democratic option who reminded me of Rod Blagojevich that makes my skin crawl.

Tuesday: Day One

The day of the vote I kinda just said fuck it all. I can’t vote for any of these fools. Why does it always seem like we have to choose between two evils? With that said, I decided not to vote.

Yeah, I said I decided not to vote.

OK, so now, I’m leaving work headed home and I get near my polling place and did an about face and decided to vote.

I guess karma was on my side because the location was not super busy and I got a parking space right at the door.

As I’m getting out my car, I was approached by a man passing out literature for candidates that he was supporting. Then he took it a step further and said let’s get Virg Bernero (the democrat) in the governor’s office. I explained that there was no way that I was going to vote for him.

After I made my statement, his tone changed and he started acting like he was my real daddy or something breaking down how republicans are not for us, the greater good of Negro people, how he would be better for business blah blah blah!

Then he went on to tell me that he owns a liquor store and funeral home. I was like really? Then I asked if he laid to rest any of his alcoholic customers from his store. I was just being an asshole…

Minutes later, I’m in line to vote.

I hand over my ID and the person looks me up then she hands me my voter application to get my ballot.

I then move to the ballot line, which is where John Barr and I 1st made contact.

I approach John with my ID and voter application in hand and greeted him with a hello. He extends his hands to take my information and reciprocates my greeting.

As he was looking me up, he asked “how is your gangsta’ rap group going?” Taken aback, I said excuse me. He then repeated the question looking me dead in my eyes. I then asked John what made him think that I was in a gangsta’ rap group. He exclaimed “everyone with hair like that is a gangsta rapper!”

At this point, I shouted back “are you racially profiling me as I attempt to vote? Are you serious? Do you really mean to intimidate me at the voting poll in the year 2010?”

All I got back from my line of questioning was a dumb ass blank stare that only an imbecile could give.

I then demanded to see someone in charge!!!

Moments later, a very sweet woman approached me and I explained what happened. All the while she was in utter shock. At the end of my rant, she asked me to not leave so that she could process me personally as she dismissed John.

As she handed me a ballot, she requested that I not leave so that she could get me in touch with the township clerk.

So I now have my ballot and I’m in the booth PISSED off.

As I stated before, I was going to vote for the republican gubernatorial candidate but then I started having civil rights flashbacks and said fuck that, I can’t go that way.

After the ballot was completed, I handed it back to the sweet lady (she had be to in her 70s). She thanked me for my patience and told me that the township clerk; Karen Lovejoy Roe was waiting to see me at her nearby office.." [More]

And, to think, Tafari was actually considering voting for the republican for governor. (The guy supporting the dumbocratic candidate was no better)

But hey, Tafari, maybe the guy was just making small talk. You know, just breaking the ice. I am sure he didn't want to discourage you from voting. That would have been [un]A-merry-can.