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  • Happy New Year CI! Sorry I am so late.   I am emerging from all the holiday festivities. Distressing article, but  right on point, Nancy.  Thank you for making this info so easily accessible!

  • Coming in super-late, but wanted to chime in and say thank you for breaking all this information down into manageable pieces. One of the outcomes of the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People’s Movement gathering this past November was a resolution to register 1 million (formerly incarcerated) voters for this year’s election:  http://unprison.com/2011/11/10/out-of-l-a-ficpm-will-register-1-million-voters-opposed-to-mass-incarceration/  
    and
    http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/voting-for-change/Content?oid=3137109

    • Anonymous

      What an important initiative, Vikki – thanks for the info.

    • thank you vikki!

      greatly appreciate the links  — wonderful!

  • Anonymous

    Getting here very, very late.  This is another really important post.
    Thanks, Nancy.

    The Year Of The Vote… truth.

    (blindyone)

  • What can I say sister Nancy except say that your essay is beautifully done!

    This is a message for all ears to hear. We may look like we are living in a post racial society but systemic racism is everywhere and has been alive for decades even after the Civil Rights Act and each day the Republican’s are looking to find a way to cheat us by passing bogus laws that will disenfranchise many people of color.

    Today more than ever, we must expose these coded bigoted acts of the Republicans and their racists policies. We must ensure that every American of voting age has their one vote protected.

    Nancy, you have done a great job showing the effect these Republican legislations has had on voting rights to date and it’s effect will indeed have massive implications in the 2012 election. A reason for all of us to not be complacent and working hard to register new voters.

    I am fired up and ready to go! Happy New Year!

    • Fired Up and Ready to go here too!

      Great to see you — Happy New Year and thanks!

      Yes We Will!  Again! :)

    • Anonymous

      Hey, {{{{TiMT!}}}} – fired up here and ready to go in Montana, too.

      Sending love.

      • Right backatcha (((((Kay)))))

    • Anonymous

      Happy New Year, TIMT! 

      I’m fired up for the 2012 election and I have a bunch of friends and family ready to help get the best President of our lifetimes re-elected.

      (blindyone)

    • Anonymous

      I love will. i. am.  Love. Love. Love. 

      • Ruby the great. It has been a long time. Skipping over the details, I am fired up and ready to go as of the New Years. My short break from politics is over and ready to kick some you know what.

        Nice to see you always and Happy New Year my sistah!

    • Many likes for that clip. It gives me chills out of excitement. :-)

      Great work Nancy! Thank you!

      • me too!

        First got it from you btw:)

        • Missed ya my sistah. How about a big hug ((((((Nancy)))))

  • Anonymous

    I’m back as me.  So, whew! 

  • Kay Whitlock

    Hey, folks, my regular sign-in isn’t working tonight, so I’m commenting and “liking” as a guest.  So if you see “and 1 more person” on your recs, that’s probably me!  I’ll try to get this sorted out, but it won’t happen tonight!

    • thanks Kay — disqus is not always user friendly :(

      • Kay Whitlock

        I could use a social media sign-in, but I am so contrarian about that!  

        • i’m with you!

          anyway we always are fond of “and one more person” :)

    • Anonymous

      I had a lot of trouble logging in, as well. It took several tries. Weird. 

  • Anonymous

    This is a critical diary and so well done. If the Democrats do not wake up and fight back against all of these forms of voter suppression we are going to find ourselves with another stolen election…only this one will be stolen in a far more subtle and insidious way because it will be legalized theft.

    Thanks so much for this and especially for all of the excellent links and actions.

    As always, deepest, deepest respect.

    rubyr

  • Anonymous

    This is a critical diary and so well done. If the Democrats do not wake up and fight back against all of these forms of voter suppression we are going to find ourselves with another stolen election…only this one will be stolen in a far more subtle and insidious way because it will be legalized theft.

    Thanks so much for this and especially for all of the excellent links and actions.

    As always, deepest, deepest respect.

    rubyr

    • Kay Whitlock

      hi, ruby—good to see you.  And you’re so right.

      • Anonymous

        Hey baby!!!

        Great to see you too. Hope 2012 is a great year for you.

    • Kay Whitlock

      hi, ruby—good to see you.  And you’re so right.

    • Thank you Ruby!

      and yes to all you said — we have got to do this !

      Happy New Year to you my friend — thanks for being here

      • Anonymous

        Thank you for doing this. It is so important!!!

    • Thank you Ruby!

      and yes to all you said — we have got to do this !

      Happy New Year to you my friend — thanks for being here

  • Anonymous

    This is great! Lots of work ahead indeed. The Supreme Court may yet get their chance to erase the Voting Rights Act from history fairly soon. There’s now the Texas suit plus another one in SC that looks like it could be fast tracked – in that one, they allege that the VRA actually discriminates against WHITES.

    (In fact, do you want someone to write about the upcoming VRA challenges for CI?)

    • Happy New Year indie!

      and yes yes yes to VRA challenges! Will you do this for us?

      • Anonymous

        I have been wanting to write about it anyway, because SCOTUSBlog has been raising alarms over it (and usually they’re so straightforward that seeing them almost panicked is very scary.) So if you’d like that I would definitely be up for it.

        I didn’t really want to waste my time with it elsewhere, and the only place I could’ve posted it was on my new blog but that doesn’t have many visitors so it wouldn’t get read.

      • Anonymous

        I have been wanting to write about it anyway, because SCOTUSBlog has been raising alarms over it (and usually they’re so straightforward that seeing them almost panicked is very scary.) So if you’d like that I would definitely be up for it.

        I didn’t really want to waste my time with it elsewhere, and the only place I could’ve posted it was on my new blog but that doesn’t have many visitors so it wouldn’t get read.

        • excellent!!

          thank you so much  – you are the one to do this

          and please link us to your blog — i’ll visit :)

          • Anonymous

            oh it’s at http://burnafterwriting.com

            I just got it a couple weeks ago so it’s sort of bare and I’m gonna have to do more to it. Currently I have a few posts plus my review of Queer (In)justice on it.

            I am kind of freaking out today because I think I’m experiencing writers’ block, and I’m having trouble even thinking of topics to write on, so I think the VRA issue would be great to take on. It’d be awesome to have more readers over there! :)

            When do you think would be a good week to do it? Any time is really good for me.

          • does the week after next work indie??

            we have an Equal Justice update on Paradise Lost for next  week

            but the following is perfect

            and i will visit :)

          • Anonymous

            The 18th? That works! That’s actually the one day I’m not doing KosAbility, haha. They are very short on people writing about disability issues so I took the 11th, 15th, 22nd, 25th and 29th.

            Not that I couldn’t do it on those days anyway – they’re so far off I have plenty of time to get lots of things done.

            I can’t wait for the Equal Justice thing! Is Emma still off? I think I was going to email her but you said she was on maternity leave or something.

          • Yes!! the 18th is perfect!!

            yes emma is still off for another month or so with the baby

            if you need a contact there while she is away i can pass one on to you indie..

        • excellent!!

          thank you so much  – you are the one to do this

          and please link us to your blog — i’ll visit :)

      • Anonymous

        Oh and Happy new year to you too!

      • Anonymous

        Oh and Happy new year to you too!

    • Kay Whitlock

      hi, indie.  The Voting Rights Act is indeed in danger, and I think your  piece will be so important.   look forward to reading it.

      • Anonymous

        Hey Kay Happy new year! And it’s not very surprising that the VRA would be in danger  – I think more attention should have been paid to John Roberts’ history before he was confirmed. One of his missions in life was to get rid of affirmative action and any other programs designed to help equalize the races in even any small way.

        He was undoubtedly a ‘qualified’ judge in the sense of being intelligent and experienced, but he had all the wrong views for the court and he’s been a big leader in all the cases that have resulted in racist results. He used that intelligence for evil things.

        I could say a lot. Better save it for what I write. :P

        I hope you’re doing well!

        • you are so right about Roberts

          the decision to make him — and at such a young age — Chief Justice — was another brillantly vil move

          And we have seen what it has wrought in a series of very politically motivated case choice and  bad bad decisions..

          Sigh..

        • Kay Whitlock

          Happy New Year to you, pal.  Yes, yes on the John Roberts history.

          Here in Montana, our state supreme court recently delivered a resounding rebuke to Citizens United.  Read here: 

           http://www.truth-out.org/montana-state-supreme-court-citizens-united-not-welcome-here/1325688926

          It makes me very proud of our state court, which also, just over a year ago, ruled in favor of a lesbian mom. 

          But you KNOW we’re going to be on a collision course with the U.S. Supreme Court.  

          • saw that the other day Kay — wow!

            more power to them

          • How are you doing sistah Kay? Happy New Year!

            I agree that the SCOTUS is so politicized and tarnished in so many ways the collision has caused so much pain already. I don’t see it acting in fairness and if I may say so…some of the people on the bench are the worst type of bigots. Unless that bench is cleaned up, there ain’t going to be fairness to carry the law as intended. I would think a couple of seats will have to be replaced during the next President’s term. That by itself is a reason for me to work harder.

            Glad to hear Montana ain’t having the BS. 

          • Anonymous

            Happy New Year, dear friend.  All good wishes to you and the fam.

          • Anonymous

            So cool to read about your state supreme court, Kay.

            The majority on the Supreme Court needs to be “collided” with. Maybe it’ll knock some sense into them.

            (blindyone)

          • Anonymous

            thanks, sns!  Great to see you – although I’m replying on Thursday!

            The thinking here is that the Right will make sure this gets on the USSC docket in order to deliver a knockout blow to ANY state that dares question Citizens United.

            Also, our state supreme court justices are, as in so many other states, elected.  So you can just imagine how the corporations are going to try to whittle away at the 5 justices who voted in our favor.

    • Kay Whitlock

      hi, indie.  The Voting Rights Act is indeed in danger, and I think your  piece will be so important.   look forward to reading it.

    • Happy New Year indie and hope all is well with you.

      Looking forward to your essay on the VRA challenges. Thanks!

      • Anonymous

        I’m glad I saw this before I go off to bed. Happy new year to you as well TIMT! Hope your holidays went well.

  • Kay Whitlock

    Superb, Nancy, and thank you.  Voter suppression comes in all forms –
    and it only ever advantages the Right, no matter what form it comes in.

    I’ll be working GOTV for President Obama and for Sen. Jon Tester here in Montana.

  • Here is to our best ever GOTV efforts in 2012!

    Lots of work ahead!