Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, proud leader of the Republican resurgence in America, has spent the week fending off accusations that he's (again) a disgrace to his own state. The Washington Post reported on Sunday that McDonnell would require "nonviolent felons" to write an essay "outlining their contributions to society since their release" as part of applying to have their voting rights restored. It's tantamount to a literacy test, the kind of hurdle used to keep African Americans from voting under Jim Crow.
Today on his "Ask the Governor" radio show, McDonnell walked that back a nubbin:
[T]here's no essay, we've asked for just a simple, uh, statement of what the person has done in order to be reintegrated into society, a little bit about their crime, what they've done to get back into society, any community activities, and we're still in the draft stages, we're probably going to make that part of an overall form, so I'm very disappointed with some of those unfounded criticisms by Democrats against this process.
Let's go to the documents, shall we?
The Washington Post put online a letter signed by Micah Womack, Director of Rights Restoration and sent to a non-violent offender on Feb. 26, 2010. It asks for the man's "cooperation in providing" a "details of offense letter" including a description of the offenses, plus information on employment status, "strides in education," involvement in "church activities" and "any and all service to the community." The man has a deadline of April 1, 2010.
Compare that to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website, which offers a "short form" application for people with nonviolent, nondrug offenses. That two-page document, which has "2008" right in its filename, makes no mention of a "details of offense letter." Download the PDF, right-click on it, and look under "properties." You'll see that it was authored by an "mwomack" -- Micah Womack, maybe? -- on Friday, July 25, 2008, at 3:32:26 PM. By all indications, this document is practically musty. It doesn't appear to have changed in nearly two years, since well before McDonnell took office.
(The short form, born on July 25, 2008)
On to the "long form," for people with violent and drug-distribution felonies. A note on page one says the document was "Revised 4 April 2008." It asks for a "personal letter (details of offense letter)" including "a personal account of the circumstances surrounding your conviction(s), how your life has changed since then, if you are involved in any community activities, and, why, in particular, you feel your rights should be restored." And that's it. The form makes no mention of church activities, employment status, or community service -- as the letter from Micah Womack did.
(The long form, born on March 31, 2010)
What's more, if you download the PDF and check its properties, you'll see it was created on Wednesday, March 31, 2010, at 5:33:00, with no author listed. At least as a file, it's much, much newer than the short form that's supposedly being changed.
So which is it? Has McDonnell in fact changed the policy for nonviolent felons, so that they have to write personal essays, too? If the state is in fact already requesting that of nonviolent felons, then how can the policy be only a draft? And why hasn't the state updated its application form to reflect what the governor's now asking? Only the long form appears to have been updated, and then only in its behind-the-scenes file magic.
If the new policy or draft or whatever it turns out to be merely extends the essay requirement from violent and drug offenders to nonviolent and non-drug ones, then why does the letter under the new administration make explicit mention of church activities? The old requirement didn't. We've got messages in to the governor's office. As we hear more, we'll tell you more.
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I'm surprised the form doesn't ask the recipient to spell the word "vote".
I hope Virginians realize that their governor is moving their state backwards and next time use their votes a little more wisely.
I am surprized that anyone finds it acceptable that another's right to vote has been suspended. Are they taxed, without being represented? Would they vote against the laws that criminalized them? How can you expect them to be part of the group, all the while being pushed out? Give them back their tax money, or quit taking their vote away.
The real question is 'Has the policy changed?'. I am not sure that what is stated on a public media outlet actuallyreflects the current policy. Publicly back peddle to appease the masses, privately hold the controversial line.
I do wish Rachel Maddow would stop presenting the republican apologies as though they are sincere. Republicans do what they do and say what they say deliberately. Then they apologize after they are sure that what they have already said or done has reached as many people as possible. It is a game that they have now been playing for the past few years. We as suckers keep repeating that they've apologize without ever pointing out the fact that the apology was scheduled as part of their plan from the get go. It really is time that the news people stop being so gullible.
I keep wanting to believe that Bob has it within himself to make real progress in bridging the political gap between the extreme religious right and the rest of us and he keeps slipping off the track.
He had a front row seat to the damage that social intolerance can have on a family as it affected his own extended family, enough so that a pause in assumed thought would not have been unreasonable. I was a brother-in-law and, in appearance only, a male. Today, he is still one of my children's uncles and I am still one of his children's uncles. My apparent gender, however, has changed from what it had been to what it should have been all along. I'm sure it was an intense experience for all concerned (it has been for me!!); yet I feel comfortable that from it I've been blessed with a great deal of wisdom. I had hoped that the same would be true for him and, yet, here I am still hoping for the best and witnessing the worst...I guess it must just be a part of the transgendered experience! What a life!! :))
Btw, Rachel, Bob's actually in his fifties (55 to be exact) even if looks to be in his forties... just an fyi, no big deal!!
Housing Foreclosure Crisis
Elizabeth Warren said it all in classic academic understatement.
“We are going to have a very difficult time restarting our economy if we continue a downward spiral on
home values because of the downward pressure with mortgage foreclosures.”
America’s “too big to fail” banking institutions suffered a massive heart attack 18 months ago. The bail-out was triple bypass surgery. The patient is now home, but can barely get to the bathroom, let alone run around the block or go to the gym. The patient is in no condition to be of any help at all in this crisis. The sooner this is realized, the sooner a real solution can be found, not one based on fantasy or denial.
The treasury department (doctor) is in denial to the extent of banker’s condition and inability to help. The treasury department simply knows that “pushing” a recovering heart patient is not a good idea.
"Don't push us too hard because we don't plan to cooperate" are the words of a recovering heart patient in response to going back to work.
It’s not a matter of “cooperation”. The banks failed and will never be the same again. The best we can hope for is survival, not productivity. The damage is irreversible. “Bankrupt” ideas will not solve the housing or economic crisis. It’s time for plan B. The longer we delay, the more irreversible the damage to our economy and the longer the road to recovery.
Elizabeth Warren talks of 50 billion dollars possibly going to help the foreclosure crisis. This is a five gallon bucket to bail out the Titanic. New, creative, and dynamic ideas are needed. Washington is not the place to find them. The answers are with the American people in their own cities and towns.
Create city and state credit unions financed and funded by the federal reserve. Let city and state governments, through their new credit union, decide where stimulus money should be spent or loaned. The federal government distributes and local governments manage. All transactions and every stimulus penny is absolutely transparent and updated daily on the internet so the whole world can observe.
Pour one trillion, two trillion, whatever trillion dollars, from the federal reserve, through these credit unions, into local democratically managed economies. Do this until jobs, housing, foreclosures, and credit turns around. They will, eventually, turn around.
Citizen is coach to team democracy. Coach is responsible for success. It’s your call, coach.
http://coach-1640280.newsvine.com/
Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin, all we hear is Sarah Palin…………..
Sortition vs Elitism
Early existence of pre-western democracy occurred around 500BC in Athens Greece. Sortition, also known as allotment, is an equal-chance method of government official selection. An elaborate “Las Vegas” style system of lottery chose government office holders from the general population. Sortition was considered a principal characteristic of democracy. This method delivered “government of the many”, democracy, as opposed to “government of the few”, oligarchy (elitism).
Mathematically random sortition assignment of federal officials assures equal representation of all political fault lines in government. That is, it assures equal gender, ethnic, economic, religious, and political representation in a governing body. Sortition chooses officials with the same distribution of “experience”, “education”, “intelligence”, “beauty”, and “charisma” as the larger population.
Sortition helps us understand “grass roots” and possibly Sarah Palin and the tea party movement. These are citizens with a point of view, not necessarily understood or deemed worthy by current political and media elite. When pondering the “fringe”, as you wish to define it, on the right, or on the left, think sortition-elect. What would we get with a sortitioned chamber of representatives? A Sarah Palin or two is not unlikely.
Sortition guarantees every government representative is “grass roots”. How much “grass roots” do we really want? How much do we truly believe in our grass roots? How much do we truly believe in democracy? Do we want democracy or oligarchy? What would happen if the senate were chosen by sortition?
Our heritage is the right to “alter or abolish” government. How far are we willing to go? Citizen is coach to team democracy. The coach is responsible for team success. It’s your call coach.
http://coach-1640280.newsvine.com/
What does Virginia expect..the guy lied his ass off to get elected and they fell for it.
Be wary of what you vote for you just might get it.
And people wonder why I'm embarassed to admit that I'm a southerner. McDonnell, Barber, Virginia Fox, Sue Myrick ... the list just goes on and on. I'm sure other regions have embarassing politicians but if they do, they manage to be embarassing and quiet. Ours can't keep their mouths shut.