Ok, so I'm a big weenie and it was only via email. Anyway...
It's been a bad day... Sinclair, Toledo Dem headquarters, and the Nevada republican disenfranchisement effort.
So I sent off my daily email to my political email list (wide cross-section) and the LTE desk at the local paper... ranting once again about voter disenfranchisement - specifically making an example of the Voters Outreach group.
Of course, the republicans on my email list promptly emailed me back with their patented excuse, "Oh well, the Democrats do that too."
To which I replied... (below the fold)
Dear #####,
I reviewed your blog link (http://www.blogsforbush.com/mt/archives/002196.html) but it doesn't give me any specific information regarding voter disenfranchisement happening by "both sides".
Frankly, I'm fucking tired of hearing this kind of arguement. The "oh, they're doing it to" excuse is JUST AN EXCUSE. Go look, do a bit of research and get your head out of the sand. IT'S HAPPENING whether you want to admit it or not.
I am very upset about voter disenfranchisement issues (as all Florida citizens should be). There is a concerted effort by Republican groups to disenfranchise voters. You want proof? I'll give you 10 examples right now if you promise to read the articles.
For every DOCUMENTED link you send me I will send you five back.
I don't care who you are - if you are attempting to keep people from voting then you should be strung up. Its happened repeatedly (let's not even talk about the Florida felon purge lists from 2000 AND 2004). I'm seeing this repeated DAILY, and its predominately Republicans. The Repubs are scared, they're wrong, and you should seriously reconsider supporting a party that participates in this kind of shit.
Original email here...
Please be aware that if you recently registered to vote with a group called "Voters Outreach" and you registered as a Democrat, your registration was most likely destroyed. This group, funded by the Republican National Committee, was recently in Florida. They were caught destroying Democrat-marked registrations in Nevada (Nevada's AG office and the FBI are investigating).
IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT ABOUT YOUR REGISTRATION STATUS CALL YOU LOCAL SUPERVISOR'S OF ELECTIONS!
The story broke at KLAS-TV in Las Vegas.
"The out-of-state firm has been in Las Vegas for the past few months, registering voters. It employed up to 300 part-time workers and collected hundreds of registrations per day, but former employees of the company say that Voters Outreach of America only wanted Republican registrations."
Two former workers say they personally witnessed company supervisors rip up and trash registration forms signed by Democrats.
"We caught her taking Democrats out of my pile, handed them to her assistant and he ripped them up right in front of us. I grabbed some of them out of the garbage and she tells her assisatnt to get those from me," said Eric Russell, former Voters Outreach employee."
The FBI is now involved.
Voter-registration forms shredded in Vegas
FBI told applications of Democrats tossed in trash
LAS VEGAS - The FBI has been notified that hundreds of voter-registration forms have been intentionally discarded or destroyed by a private company hired by the Republican Party to sign people up to vote.
There's more, of course, but my frustration level is at an extreme right now.
You would think after the voter disenfranchisement that occurred in Florida during the 2000 election the RNC would stay away from groups like these. Apparantly the are taking the "win at any cost" mantra a little to seriously.