"Don't Mess With Texas"
As many of you know, organizations like the NAACP and the ACLU have formally requested the UN to send observers to several states (including Texas) to monitor their elections. One apparently affiliated group the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, has been formally notified by the Texas attorney general that any so-called observers will have to follow rules. His letter is linked below.
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=4195
It would be great if all other state AGs would follow suit. I wouldn't hold much hope for our California AG, Tamala Harris.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I'm sure that's what President Morsi would say also. And Joseph Kabila.
The fact is, no international body has any supervisory AUTHORITY over any country's elections. Observers always have to follow the laws of the country they are in.
They are accommodated only if
a) the host country really needs some good international pr, and is willing to accept the oversight to win kudos,
b) the host country really needs a loan from the IMF, and has been confidentially informed it won't be forthcoming without cooperation,
c) etc. etc. etc.
Since Texas doesn't care what anyone in Louisiana, Oklahoma or New Mexico think about them, much less the rest of the world, and has no independent authority to seek financing from the IMF, anyone shows up needs a U.S. visa, is entitled to got anywhere the general public is permitted, and has to follow the same rules as anyone else.
What's the big deal about that?
As an election inspector for over two years, I know exactly what voluntaristic "observers" are allowed to do, and what they are not. For example, they can make note of what they consider an irregularity, or even point it out for consideration by the duly constituted authorities (that would be me, and the team I work with, and our Chief Inspector), but if they try to peremptorily demand that someone NOT be given a ballot, etc. we are to ignore them and continue doing our job as we have been trained to do it.
Is that what Texas's AG is saying?
Siarlys,
You don't find anything offensive about this, do you?
Anonymous,
Yee Gads! Are you responding to the right post? You don't see anything outrageous about some bunch of Europeans marching in to monitor our elections?
Not really.
The "Europeans" along with others are there to tokenly monitor the upcoming national elections in the US.
Although I believe that the United States has free and fair elections for the most part, there have been problems such as the 2000 elections with purged voter rolls and hanging chad in Florida and bags of ballots found in an election workers car in Minnesota in 2008.
And besides the election monitors can gain first hand experience with a properly run election in a democracy and then apply that knowledge when they are in some third world nation with a history of rigged elections.
Take a chill pill Gary.
And Vote OBAMA/BIDEN 2012!!!
I don't see that a bunch of Europeans ARE coming to inspect our elections, although we should be proud to show off how free and democratic and transparent and participatory our process is, if they cared to come look.
I read that some groups of American CITIZENS have lost sufficient confidence in certain state governments that they would feel more certain of free and fair electoral processes if disinterested third parties were there to watch.
I do find it offensive that some states still operate in a manner (updated and more sophisticated to be sure) that some of our fellow citizens think this is necessary.
I don't automatically join you in saying, 'but this is AMERICA! You can't do this to US! Maybe the shoe doesn't fit, in which case, show us it doesn't, but if the shoe fits, wear it.
On the other hand, I think Attorney General Holder can handle the job. Maybe you were offended that the NAACP and the ACLU lack confidence in how well the Attorney General will secure the right of every citizen to vote?
P.S. My vote for Obama was cast this afternoon. I doubt I will be freed up for a long enough break on election day to go vote at my local polling place. Because of the structure of the ballot, I had to vote for Biden too. Otherwise I would have cast a write-in vote for VP. Maybe Ron Paul, or Gary Johnson, maybe Buddy Roemer. I'd love to see one of them working in a team with Barack.
Texas and former slave states "backwards"@ Anon you might be a bit misinformed. One might even say an idiot if one was so inclined.
At this time Southern states, Texas in particular, are doing much better than other sections of the country. If we are so backward down here than a whole lot of other Americans must want to join us in our backwardness.
The "immigration" to the south from other areas of the country is quite astounding.
Oh. I guess we won't be needing any "observers" down this way. Jim Crow is long dead.
Cabbie, I'm sure you don't have a Jim Crow bone in your body, but the Republican Party in Texas is engaged in a much older and more inclusive form of manipulation, which has two components:
1) Gerrymander the districts, so a few have huge opposition majorities, and a much larger number have comfortable 55% majorities for us.
2) In any districts (or for statewide vote counts), try to suppress voter participation likely to support our opponents.
I would be helpful if the NAACP and ACLU would update their analysis and language.
Siarlys,
I think both parties will play the gerrymander game given an opportunity.
Please expand on point number two. I don't see it.
Post a Comment