The DISH
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Volume 7 Issue 6…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…February 13, 2004
Florida Debacle: Bush v. Gore (2000)
The 2000 Presidential Election will, no doubt, be remembered for its hanging, pregnant and dimpled chads, a butterfly ballot that confounded thousands of voters, media miscues in calling the winner of Florida's Electoral College votes, the white mob that shut down the Miami-Dade recount and, of course, the US Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore. While the court decision technically ended the manual recount and declared George W. Bush the winner, Florida's outcome was determined long before voters went to the polls.
In the run-up to Election Day, Database Technologies (DBT), a private company with ties to the Republican Party, was hired by Florida's Republican Governor Jeb Bush and Secretary of State Katherine Harris to purge "felons" from the state's voter rolls. Under Florida law, felons are not entitled to vote.
Armed with lists of felons provided by Texas State officials, DBT purged thousands of voters with the same surnames and similar dates of birth from the rolls. Blacks, disproportionately represented among the US prison population, made up the vast majority of those erroneously removed. Most of the other voters removed in error were white and Hispanic Democrats.
In the aftermath of the Florida debacle, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission's investigation found hard evidence of a systematic attempt to disenfranchise black voters. By the time the Commission completed its investigation and filed its report, the Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore had been handed down. Ironically, the Court ruled the manual recount violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which was ostensibly ratified to protect blacks in the exercise of their basic rights as citizens. Source: www.mediachannel.org/views/whistleblower/palast.shtml and www.news.bbc.co.uk)
Sheep to the Slaughter
By Paris
Easily I approach, the microphone, in this land of jokes
Can't leave it alone, cause ya know, I could see right though
Corrupt plans and these bulls**t scams and untruths
We livin' in a maze, different days and times
The world is a stage, most truth is a lie
In this propaganda matrix, the sheep just die
For these murderous conservatives with corporate ties
Deny knowledge of the truth, ignorin' the poor
They just human ammunition for these capital wars
Just human ammunition and collateral d
That's why millions of us holla risin' up in the streets
And when ya see me understand I'm representin' a voice
The majority would feel if ever given a choice
I don't need this seedy media they only annoy
Cause the only ones that wanna scrap ain't never deployed
Who do the fightin' for these rich white folks, and they wars
No it ain't Drew Carey, Dennis Miller or stars
Fox News, Mike Savage, Bruce Willis or Rush
Won't be MSNBC, CNN or a Bush
Never Toby Keith, Hannity, O'Reilly or Clint
Ain't ClearChannel - know they ain't supportin' dissent
Ain't Blair, Kid Rock, or Tom Cruise or vows
Of James Woods, Rob Lowe, Tom Selleck or Powell
Not Arnold Schwarzenegger, he ain't gonna shoot, or
Ted Nuget cause in war the targets got weapons too
Ain't Cheney, Rumsfeld, Halliburton or Ridge
Or Ann Coulter, or Joseph Lieberman or the rich
Or any b***h up in congress, they just make laws
When it comes to fightin' - we the ones that end up in gauze
So when you say "support that murderer," I have no applause
Even if he got his jumpsuit on - we pay the cost
About Me:
From his politically incorrect album Sonic Jihad (2003), "Sheep to the Slaughter" is one of Paris' tamer takes on the current socioeconomic and political landscape. Unlike gangsta rappers that drag blacks through entertainment gutters, Paris speaks on a variety of topics from a uniquely positive perspective. For more about this talented artist, see www.guerrillafunk.com.
3/5 Compromised Electability
Annually, the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit research group, uses Census data to analyze federal spending and tax receipts. Broken down by state, its analysis provides another side of the 3/5 Compromise, the infamous agreement that codified slavery. Under this agreement on representation and taxation, a slave was counted as 3/5 of a person.
The Tax Foundation's analysis shows a continuation of the structural divide created by the compromise and the resultant income redistribution, while raising questions about the chances of electing any Democratic Party presidential candidate. The income redistribution is fairly straightforward. For example, for every dollar the average North Dakotan paid in federal taxes, he received $2.07 in federal benefits. In neighboring Minnesota, every dollar sent to Washington resulted in only 77 cents in federal spending. According to Daniel H. Pink, author of "Free Agent Nation," this structural divide casts doubt on the electability of any Democratic candidate. More important, it raises questions about US equality and democracy.
Using the red (Republican) and blue (Democrat) Electoral Map popularized in Election 2000, the 50 states fall into two groups: Givers and Takers. For every dollar sent to Washington, Giver states get back less than a dollar in federal spending, while taker states receive more than a dollar. Two exceptions are Indiana, which has a one-to-one taxes paid and federal spending ratio, and the District of Columbia (DC), the seat of government; it has no choice in being a Taker.
In 2000, for a party of "low taxes and limited government," oddly a majority (78%) of Republican electoral votes came from taker states. Democrats, characterized by the GOP as "tax and spend liberals," received 76% of the Giver states' electoral votes.
Chief redistribution beneficiaries, Republicans in red states like Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are some of the fiercest critics of federal spending, yet, they are among its biggest recipients. In contrast, Democrats in the coastal blue states -- the ones most often portrayed as freeloaders -- bear the tax burden.
As Pink suggests, this 3/5 compromise income redistribution system is a boon for George W. Bush and the Republicans that control the nation's purse strings. Shrewdly, their propaganda encourages takers to see themselves as givers. Rewarded with federal dollars in excess of their contribution, the takers' tax bills are paid by those who vote for the opposition. If Republicans pull this off and Bush carries all 33 Taker states, he will earn 273 electoral votes -- more than enough to win.
Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential nominee is in the untenable position of appealing to those who believe they do not get a fair shake from Washington. If the Democrat carries all 16 Giver states and DC, he will have 254 electoral votes, short of the needed majority.
Disgruntled says:
Before Enron's bankruptcy exposed a chasm of corporate corruption, Dick Cheney presided over a task force that crafted a bill critics claim is a smorgasbord of energy industry delights. Several groups, including Judicial Watch, requested a list of task force members. Cheney refused; the watchdogs filed suit. The White House asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision requiring the release of this information. Cheney has been seen dining and duck hunting with states righter and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Some believe this hobnobbing calls into question Scalia's ability to rule impartially in a case pitting his good friend's need for secrecy against the public's right to know who formulated energy policy. Rightfully so, many are calling for Scalia's recusal.
Disgruntled wants to know:
According to Beltway buzz, two members of Dick Cheney's staff are close to being indicted in the Justice Department's probe of the Valerie Plame affair. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's chief of staff, and John Hannah, his Middle East policy adviser as the likely targets. According to envoy Joseph Wilson, Valerie Plame, his wife, was outed as a CIA operative in a Bob Novak news column in retaliation for Wilson's refusal to play ball with the Bush cabal. Unlike others in the intelligence community, Wilson refused to cooperate with Cheney in alleging Saddam tried to purchase Niger uranium. If Libby and Hannah are indicted, will Cheney bear some blame in outing Plame?
By John Burl Smith
Singing a siren song of "electability," Democrats are rallying behind Senator John Forbes Kerry, as their predecessors marched behind Adlai Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis. Achieving his status as the alternative to Howard Dean, Kerry now crows as if, he established leadership driving political debate and motivating rank and file opposition to George W. Bush. Democrats who believe Kerry can hit a higher octave are singing along regardless of his tune. Abandoning black voters, their most loyal following, Democrats have loss the presidency and control of both houses of Congress trying to woo white men. Humming their new anthem of "electability," Democrats are single mindedly focusing on who they want to defeat, rather than who they will elect.
Unfortunately, Kerry's Democratic sing-a-long has the rhythm but not the words blacks can croon. First, the record shows that when votes were counted Kerry supported Bush on every issue he now opposes. A work in progress, as humans should be, prompts the question, what brought about Kerry's evolution? Growth and change are good. However, the challenge for Kerry is not whether he can win the nomination but can he bring in enough new black voters to get the huge turnout he will need to offset incumbency and a $200 million war chest? The impact of Bush v Gore and voter fraud in Florida hit a sour note not made sweeter for blacks by the Democrats' swan song. The melody of "electability" does not fuse with the hip hop beat of "a count-ability," as in actually counting black votes.
The chorus of Senatorial Democrats refused to support the "Gentle Ladies" from the US House of Representatives, who on behalf of Florida voters, sounded a challenge to Election 2000 results because all votes were not counted. Kerry's silence then makes the timing of his transformation highly suspect. If he did not believe black votes were worth fighting for in 2000, why should blacks believe he will fight in 2004? Moreover, Kerry's past performances have never headlined a major black issue in or out of Congress.
Jobs are the single greatest concern of blacks, and Kerry's challenge is to score an arrangement that soothes these blues. Black unemployment historically runs more than twice that of whites; Kerry's voice is not a lead in remedying this tragedy. Blacks face hiring discrimination, especially at the professional and corporate levels, and the low paying jobs blacks were relegated during segregation are being given to immigrants. How does Kerry's remix sound? Will it voice hope for blacks families?
The finale leaves real questions regarding the amount of deference Kerry must show Bush as a "Skull and Bones" brother. His bandwagon of "electability" is drowning out questions of "credibility" in opposing Bush. Democrats look upon Kerry as Republicans looked upon Bush during the 2000 campaign. They said openly, "we just want to win." They did not care what Bush said or meant. Now, America and the world live with their uncritical acceptance. Democrats once stood for something, but now with the symphony of "electability," not only do Democrats dance to Republican tunes, the rank and file is also singing along.
By John Burl Smith
Learning to hunt raccoons as a boy, my great grandfather, Rev. Burl Lee, The Circuit Rider, would say, "good dogs flush game, but light, like a full moon, reveals hiding quarry." Another lesson he taught that I missed the full significance of until "Meet the Press" (2-8-04)-- "flash a deer in the headlights."
There he sat, before the world, the President of the United States, trying to hide in plain sight. Treed by his choices, Bush personified the "Emperor with no clothes." Stripped bear by on-the-ground realities, Bush's attempted improvisation failed to cover fallacies in US logic for the Iraqi invasion.
Naked, staring down the barrel of truth, Bush's slow moving lips could not hide his indecisiveness. Given the same information as everyone else taking the same test, the answer is the same for all. Going beyond unclear actions to infer intentions is a "leap of faith" at best and "therein lies the rub." More than anything, Bush revealed that he is ruled by faith in what he "believes." Consequently, nothing can change his mind, except something he "believes."
This point was illuminated most clearly by his response to David Kay's interim report on WMD in Iraq. Selecting Kay because he believed exactly as Bush about WMD in Iraq, Bush refuses to accept Kay's findings after almost a year of searching. "I do not believe WMD will be found." When belief in one's own sureness rather than evidence is the basis for decisions and actions, self-fulfilling prophecies usually result. Bush gave a very vivid picture of his impulsive mind-set when making "life and death" judgements.
One of The Circuit Rider's most cogent admonitions was "You can't change history, all one can do is lie about it." No lie is strong enough to hold truth down forever. Buried in the deepest hold and covered over for years, inevitably like flowers growing up through concrete, truth will find the light of day. "Meet the Press" was the full moon shining on an "ol' coon" staring at inevitability. Foreshadowing the 2004 election, American voters will never have a clearer shot than the one Bush provided himself. America and the world saw the kind of person entrusted with shaping our children's futures. Now, like a deer caught in headlights, that is scary.
Michigan Debacle & Enemy Sleeper
Democratic presidential hopeful Rev. Al Sharpton is the only candidate that showed up for a Thursday voter forum in heavily black Detroit, Michigan. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won Michigan by more than 200,000 voters. A heavy black turnout in Detroit could be the margin of victory for Democrats in 2004.
While Rev. Sharpton energized black voters that turned out in large numbers for the following Saturday's caucus, Senator John Kerry won the day. Harkening back to the debacle of 2000, caucus site problems confused and angered some voters while keeping others away. Unlike sparsely populated Iowa, primaries in which regular voting sites are used may be more efficient for heavily populated urban areas such as Detroit.
Despite his rhetorical appeal among blacks, Rev. Sharpton has yet to win any state outright. Some political observers see his role as that of a spoiler. An investigative report published in The Village Voice ("Sleeping with the GOP: A Bush Covert Operative Takes Over Al Sharpton's Campaign," 2-3-04) lends credence to that allegation. The Bush operative is Roger Stone, a longtime Republican dirty-trickster, who led the mob that shut down the Miami-Dade recount in 2000. According to the article, Rev. Sharpton's nonprofit organization, National Action Network, may have underwritten travel not reported in his required Federal Election Commission filings. In addition, some funds may have come as large sum loans or gifts from Stone.
The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) has filed a number of complaints with the Federal Elections Commission; several have involved Rev. Sharpton. After The Voice article, NLPC amended its complaint requesting the FEC withhold Sharpton's matching campaign funds. The complaint and its addendum can be accessed at www.NLPC.org.
The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is a peacock. Born in the Chinese year of the Rooster, he is a showy fowl that loves the ladies' attention. So, Valentine's Day is always special. Yet, when queried about his plans for that day, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro sighed, "I have no Valentine this year!"
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