It's humbling to discover information that you didn't know but feel like you should have known. That's the feeling I had -- in addition to disgust -- while watching "American Blackout."
I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't pay close attention to the election of 2000. It's ironic because at the time I was a copy editor for a newspaper, so I should have been reading story after story about the race for president. But the only thing I remember is how disappointed I was when George W. Bush was declared the winner, how relieved I was when I heard the results were in dispute and how disappointed I was when Bush was again declared the winner.
From the news reports, I, like perhaps most Americans, thought that "hanging chads" were the major issue. I didn't realize the extent to which voter disenfranchisement affected the election until watching "American Blackout."
I'm also ashamed to admit that while I believe in and agree with the Green Party platform, I knew nothing about Cynthia McKinney, their candidate for president this year.
For practical reasons -- and because I truly do trust and adore him -- I will vote for Barack Obama for president, and I encourage my readers to do the same. We cannot afford four more years of lies and the continuing decline of the lives of working-class Americans that a McCain/Palin presidency will bring. But I have a feeling that in the coming years I will support Green Party candidates.
"American Blackout" follows McKinney, a former Democratic U.S. congresswoman from Georgia, as she questions the voting in Florida in 2000 through the election of 2004.
Of course, everything in this film is still pertinent today, but I was especially struck by the segment with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., whom McCain referenced at the third presidential debate Wednesday. McCain had taken issue with Lewis' remarks about his rallies.
As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign. What I am seeing today reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history.
You can watch "American Blackout" online for free at FreeDocumentaries.org.