vox populi

minority voices and national election security

the neighborhood school where i vote usually has a  cop in need of a haircut, and a uniform that looks like he hasn't had to be in it for a while at the door, to assure that any citizen registered to vote is free to do so.  volunteers [senior citizens and highschool kids] help the voters get to the correct voting machines for their neighborhood's district and if anyone needs assistance operating the voting machine, they explain which lever does what. the whole process  takes less than 10 minutes to complete. nothing sinister, no digital brownshirts, and i would imagine the same type of scene plays out across the nation---inclusive of  florida.

"I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." ~ Martin Luther King Jr, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963

"I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color." ~ Malcolm X

texas congresswoman eddie bernice johnson, and other congressional members have petitioned the un secretary general [a black man] to monitor the 2004 us presidential elections. recently interviewed by fox news' neil cavuto, the congresswoman made the assertions that: 1)blacks, and minorities on the whole have no voice in government or the current administration, 2)black floridians were not allowed to vote in the 2000 presidential election, and 3)that george w bush does not legitimately hold the office of president. congresswoman eddie bernice johnson is black. she is saying the electorate that voted her into office---an electorate that [by her implication] is comprised predominantly of blacks and other minorities has no voice. she is saying that even though she holds a us congressional seat [representing texas' 30th district] she has [because she is a woman and a minority] been prevented from voicing her concerns and those of her constituency. the fact that she was invited to speak freely on a nationally broadcast news program cancels the accusation that blacks, women, and other minorities have no national forum.  the un as monitor of our national election, is with all do respect to the congresswoman and her colleagues, RIDICULOUS. it's ridiculous to assert that the 43rd president does not legitimately hold office---of the 6 million votes cast in florida in the 2000 election, bush won the state's 25 electoral votes by 537 votes. mr. bush's cabinet and other prominent appointees are comprised of more minorities and women at the highest level than his immediate predecessor. to continue promoting the view that minorities and women have no political voice in 21st century america is equally ridiculous and insults the intelligence of anyone within earshot of such rhetoric.

following a warning from federal officials based on intelligence reports that al-qaida is likely to attack the us again in november to disrupt national elections, election assistance commission chairman deforest b. soaries [a black man] is scheduled to meet next week with homeland security head gov. tom ridge. chairman soaries has already conferred with national security advisor condoleeza rice [a black woman], and has sent a letter to democratic and republican congressional leaders expressing his concerns that, should there be another terrorist attack in the united states, there currently is no federal statute for suspension or rescheduling of national elections.