Red State, Red Necks?

Via AMERICAblog.

Um. Somebody might want to call down to Alabama and let them know what decade we're now.

With an amendment to delete segregation-era language from Alabama's Constitution headed toward defeat by a narrow margin, state officials say an automatic recount would likely be set for November 29th.

A spokesman for Secretary of State Nancy Worley said the attorney general's office issued an advisory opinion stating such a recount should be held after the completion of the statewide election canvass on November 24th. Unofficial returns showed Amendment Two trailed by two-thousand-494 votes out of the one-point-38 million cast last week. A new state law mandates a recount when an amendment is defeated by fewer than one-half of a percent, and Amendment Two was within that margin.

Officials are still tallying provisional ballots cast on November second, but it did not appear there were enough votes to change the outcome of the unofficial count. Even if a recount fails to change the vote, lawmakers have already introduced legislation to place a reworked version of Amendment Two before voters.

How the hell to you vote not to remove segregationist-era language from your constitution? The amendmet in question would remove language providing for "separate-but-equal" schools for whites and blacks. Exactly how, in 2004, does that happen? How do you defend keeping that language in the state constitution? Well here's who's defending it, and how.

The measure was opposed by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was removed from the bench for defying a court order to remove a stone tablet of the Ten Commandments from the state judicial building.

Moore and the Christian Coalition argued that repealing the segregationist 1956 amendment would open the door to court-ordered tax increases for education.

Despite the narrow margin, Christian Coalition chief John Giles declared victory

That's right, folks. The good christian folks that want the 10 commandments in the courthouse also favor keeping segregationist language in the state constitution.

I tend to agree with John on this, in his "Memo to Senate Democrats" post.

If you had any balls, you'd offer an amendment to every piece of legislation that gives out federal dollars to the states (the highway bill, Medicare, etc.) and link that money to each state NOT having segregationist laws on the books. I.e., you have racist laws on the books, you don't get a dime of federal money for that program.

Oh how I'd love to watch the GOP try to defend segregationist laws, or in the alternative, how fun would it be making the GOP slap the red states that remain racist? That's what a REAL party would do.

And let's face it folks, we're not getting a lot of electoral votes from Alabama anytime soon. Might as well force the Republicans' hand with the rest of the country, and in the end, force them to alienate their racist base.

Oh how I'd love to watch Senate Republicans on C-SPAN, attempting to defend segretationist language in a state constitution. That would be real sweet.

Comments

[Beth]

Love this post. I lived in Alabama once and I'll never be the same. SO GLAD to not have to live there anymore.

[Tim Who?]

I read this and my heart fills with shame, not shame on my part! Shame on all those African Americans that voted for and supported Bush. This is what you voted for. This is the man, the ideas and the policies YOU supported.

Even today in 2004 you are not equal in the south, you are second-class citizens, you have been for hundreds of years and you will be for another hundred years till you wise up and understand the Republican Party uses you in election after election. And you support the very party that holds you down?

Lets take No Child Left Behind as an example. On the face of it, better education for all children sounds like a wonderful idea but what is it really? NCLB states that any school the fails to meet a certain standard. The parents of children in that school are allowed to pull them out and send their kids to another school. Let me spell it out for you. 90% of the schools that fail are in poor neighborhoods and the majority of students are minorities (Black, Mexican etc) and its not the black parents pulling their students out it’s the white parents taking their kids to better schools. Does NCLB try to help that school raise its standards? No… It only helps affluent parents (rich and white) move their kids to another school. Why? Because its nicer to say that school was failing so I’m moving my kids than it is to say I don’t want my white kids in a black school.

How about Vouchers? Here we have a system where affluent parents are sending their children to private school. Ok their rich and can afford to do so, but what the Voucher system is set up for is for those people to take the public tax dollars that would have been used in a public school and transfer those funds to the private school. Not clear enough?
YOUR tax dollars are being used to send rich white kids to private school so they don’t have to go to the same school as you. After all they want a GOOD education for their kids.

And just because Bush and other Republicans talk of God and Family you fawn all over them. For a hundred years the north… Yes those Liberal elite latte sipping Volvo drivers have fought for your rights. The north has always fought for human rights.
Black’s rights
Woman’s rights
Gay’s rights
And the South and the Republican Party has ALWAYS fought against giving any rights to anyone other than rich powerful white people. I hear the Republican Party and the South have a new employment program to help those that can’t find steady work.

It’s called States Lifting Anyone Voting, Every Re-election Year. It’s all about God and family and its even supported by the Bible. Yes sir, even the Bible says it’s a good idea whose time has come. And my guess is that African Americans in the south, (The largest single voting block in the south!) will support it.

All I can say is, you get the government you deserve. Shame…Shame on you. Bush carried the south. This is what you asked for, and this is what you got.

[Renee]

Good God, we are all up to our ears in media coverage of EVERYTHING - what more does Bush have to say or do before people realize what he really is? This man is a major threat to every one of our basic rights and freedoms. Sadly, I am in Tennessee (yes, sitting practically in the lap of Alabama - may God have mercy on us all). Things in TN are better than in Alabama....but not by much. I was born and raised in TN, yet I still cannot understand where this racial sh** fits in with anything, or why no one here will 'wise-up' about the REAL political agendas of Republicans. I say let's just do away with the southern states - but do let me get out first.

[Pogrebissky's Friend]

It's good to see more African-American blogs. They really bring more perspective. Some people still think "Blacks should be sent back to Africa."

When I think of this bigotry it reminds me of a racist who goes by the name "little_oswald" and "max_power" who posts nasty ideas about Blacks and other minorities. It turns out he was disowned by his parents and was suicidal. He even hassled the writer Richard Poe for a while.

http://www.geocities.com/disownedbyparents/

These bigots and racists do more harm to society than good, contrary to what they believe!