A Star Trek take on Constitution Day.

Philly New Black Panther Chairman King Samir Shabazz  (left above) makes his appearance on the big screen in an upcoming documentary film.  The Philly News quotes him as saying on camera – “kill every cracker you can find.”   Unfortunately, the film is about Mumia Abdul Jamal, the murderer of Philly Police officer Danny Faulkner.   The juxtaposition is revealing.  The film is a reminder that bombast and outrage, like “kill every cracker,” can be more than bluster.  It is a philosophy, an idea, that can lead to cold blooded murder, wrecked lives, widows and orphans.  It was Mumia’s attitude.  Some people consider “kill every cracker” to be the shouts of a uniformed clown.  But others know they are genuine calls to action that from time to time wreck lives.

Voter fraud allegations in a Texas Justice of the Peace contest in Dallas.  More here.

California State Senator Roderick Wright was indicted for voter fraud yesterday.  Wright is the Chair the Governmental Organization Committee, which oversees horseracing, public gaming, the National Guard, alcoholic beverages, and management of public safety emergencies.  More at the LA TImes.

Nationally syndicated columnist Deroy Murdock takes the DOJ military voting record to task.  He writes:

Imagine if five states announced that they lacked the money and manpower to ship ballots before the fall federal election to precincts in predominantly black rural counties. The Justice Department appropriately would shift into fifth gear to assure that those Americans could vote on November 2. Enforcement lawsuits would fly like pigeons fleeing a breezy schoolyard.

Now, convert those rural blacks into American GIs serving abroad. Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington are dragging their feet on the urgent task of delivering absentee mid-term-election ballots to overseas service members. The response at Justice’s Voting Rights Division in Washington, D.C. echoes a Louis Armstrong tune: “It’s sleepy time down South.”

Full article here.
 

Officials with the state of Wisconsin have been rattled by a series of articles at Pajamas Media and in the Washington Times detailing their gross failure to comply with military voting guarantees in the MOVE Act. The Move Act requires states to mail ballots 45 days in advance of the election to overseas voters. Wisconsin proposed mailing them only 29 days in advance. The Washington Times and Pajamas Media pointed out this gross abdication of their responsibility under Federal law.

Kevin Kennedy, an official at the ill-named Wisconsin “Government Accountability Board,” didn’t like the attention Wisconsin was getting.

He chortled in a document obtained by Election Law Center:

“I find the the [sic] comments in the Washington Items [sic] and Pajamas Media grossly uninformed. The MOVE Act contained a waiver provision for states such as Wisconsin, where the Legislature did not have time to fully study changing its primary date for the November 2010 election. In Wisconsin the Legislature was clear that this was something they would look at very carefully in 2011.

As you know Wisconsin has been at the forefront of ensuring ballots for military voters are made available in electronic format because of our late primary.”

Bureaucrats get bristly when citizens question their performance.

Uninformed? Was it because we didn’t sing the praises of a state that left 29 days for overseas ballots to transit like the Pew Center did? Sure, we knew Pew Loves Wisconsin. But that isn’t good enough when you are breaking federal law.

Uninformed? Maybe it was because we didn’t give enough credit for the elaborate electronic delivery system for ballots. The Overseas Vote Foundation loves states that love those sytems – largely because it is a profit center for the OVF according to one state election official who spoke to Election Law Center. OVF sings the praises of the electronic delivery systems, because it pays the bills at OVF according to this state election official. Guess who don’t get to use electronic delivery systems – front line troops being shot at that don’t carry around computers, printers or fax machines. A student studying at the Sorbonne has no problem with ballots by email, but I’ll confess my priorities lie elsewhere right now.

Uniformed about the wavier provision? Hardly. Wisconsin didn’t deserve one and the Pentagon rightfully denied it.

There is something we admit to being entirely uniformed about, for now – what other nonsense the Wisconsin legislature had time to take up other than protecting military voting rights. Kennedy bristled: “the Legislature did not have time to fully study changing its primary date for the November 2010 election.” Really? Be glad we are uninformed on this point, because if Wisconsin is anything like Maryland, a whole lot of nonsense passed instead of military voting protections. But, hey, we’re willing to take on that project and look into what the other priorities were in Wisconsin if you want us too. But be careful what you wish for, with the mood the country is in, you might not like the results.

Wisconsin plans on looking at military voting rights “very carefully in 2011.” How nice. Who’s going to let the soldiers know it wasn’t real important in 2010?

Senator Cornyn isn’t happy with the Justice Department.   The hold on Deputy Attorney General nominee James Cole probably isn’t coming off anytime soon. 

The Washington Times has the scoop.  Here is some of the letter.

“Last year, Congress enacted the MOVE Act with overwhelming bipartisan support.  This law represented the most meaningful reform in this area in decades, but it is not going to enforce itself.  Full compliance by the states depends on the DoJ making this a priority.  The disenfranchisement of military voters must come to an end.  If it is allowed to continue, it will represent a shameful failure to honor the heroic service of those who defend America.”

A bad day in court for the DOJ.  “District Court Fast-Tracks Challenge to Federal Oversight of Elections.”

Von Spakovsky has more at National Review: Another Embarassment for the Holder DOJ.

The Department of Justice has reached an agreement with Alaska regarding military voters.  The resolution in Alaska is a good thing and provides a model which should have been followed in Wisconsin.  Why is it a good settlement?  From accounts in the press release, it will force Alaska to comply with the 45 day window to send out ballots before the election.  This was made possible by Alaska officials accelerating their usual timetables and getting ballots out in compliance with the 45 day requirement of the Move Act. 

In Wisconsin, the DOJ entered into an agreement which undermined the Pentagon’s denial of Wisconsin’s request to ignore the MOVE Act.  Wisconsin sought to send out ballots 29 days in advance.  But DOJ, instead of seeking an injunction, agreed to allow ballots to mail only 32 days in advance of the election – 13 days fewer than required by federal law.  While days were added after the election to allow ballots to come in, Congress explicitly rejected this as a remedy.  DOJ should have at least gone into a courtroom and asked a federal judge to require compliance with the 45 day federal law.  The worst that would have happened is the judge would have said no, and some lawyers would have had to do some pleadings and travel to Madison.  But instead, a settlement was reached that undermined explicit statutory requirements designed to protect military voters.

LA Times has more.