Here is a photo I took on my way to work this morning. I am happy to live in card-carrying liberal New York City, where I'm reasonably sure there will be no Draconian efforts to draw maze-like lines on voting district maps or pass nefarious other laws designed to prevent or neutralize my vote.
I can't speak for elsewhere however, because the Supreme Court on Tuesday gutted a critical article of the Voting Rights Act, which required states with a record of discriminatory practices to get approval from the Department of Justice for any changes to be made to their voting laws. And today, the Supremes followed up by throwing out lower court rulings that blocked a Texas voter identification law and political redistricting plans that had previously been ruled discriminatory. Let the games begin.
The Voting Rights Act. Paula Deen. DOMA. The Trayvon Martin murder trial. Climate change. Mandela on life support. Affirmative Action. Prop 8. Immigration. In my world it's been a super intense news week, and the outcomes have been a mixed bag indeed.
Add filibuster in Texas, and yeah, me too. I'm exhausted after yesterday's exhiliration, and I need this to all slow down so I can catch my breath a minute. And dig into Michelle Alexander's "The New Jim Crow."
ReplyDeleteSo much to do.
Nola darling, you're so right. Wendy Davis filibustering that bill was for sure a highlight of the news week!
DeleteAin't that the damn truth? It's like the universe is trying to balance itself all in one week. And in the process mystify, confuse, delight and confound us.
ReplyDeleteMs. Moon, all week I haven't known whether to be up or down. i'm still pretty numb about it all, which means I doing some detached intellectualizing which helps me process the realization that when it comes to the Voting Rights Act, we're basically fucked.
DeleteCan I move to your part of the world, please? I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop here...
ReplyDeleteWhere are you, e?
DeleteTake me with you. I live in Mississippi and I don't see how this will bode well for most southern states. If our Congress were prone to action and could get a formula worked out for all 50 states, I'd be more comfortable. But I think we all know that won't be happening any time soon.
Deletee, NOLA, nerdgirl (nice to see you nerd girl!), if we are waiting on Congress to fix this we'll be waiting quite some time.
DeleteAgreed! The negatives come with the positives, I guess. I just keep remembering that quote from Martin Luther King about the arc of the moral universe bending toward justice. It takes time and comes in fits and starts, but overall I think we're moving in the right direction. I am not opposed to altering the Voting Rights Act if it's done in a way that makes sense for the modern world -- i.e. rather than basing Justice Department oversight purely on geography, taking other factors into account. We'll see whether that happens, or if the whole thing just gets left in the dust -- which would be criminal.
ReplyDeleteSteve, I'd agree with you if I had a hope in hell of Congress doing a damn thing. Yes, I'm a little cynical on this point. But thanks for your optimism. I do love that idea of the moral universe bending toward justice. And even at my most cynical I do believe it to be true.
DeleteBeen lurking a while. Decided this would be the day to drop a few lines. A little good news is Nelson Mandela's condition has improved...slightly. He is still very sick and still very old. That's just not a good combination for him right now...but it is, what it is.
ReplyDeleteJim Crow is still alive and well down here. That bastard has been hiding out in my state for a LONG time. Any advice on how to get rid of him?
Angie, so glad you decided to delurk. Welcome! Where are you that Jim Crow is alive and well? And how to get rid of him? Hmmm. The best I could say is live your life as if he's the old worn out idea that he is.
ReplyDelete