Uncivil Civil Rights "Leaders" Want Right Voting, Not Voting Rights

Rev. Jesse Jackson led a march in Atlanta Saturday purporting to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and to launch a two-year campaign to extend the act when it expires in 2007. Judging from the speeches, it doesn't seem that they want to extend a hand of friendship or cooperation to get that done, but rather are relying on hate and threats to push what must be another agenda.

Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition sponsored the march and invited leaders from the SCLC, the NAACP, National Urban League, and the AFL-CIO. I tend to believe that the Young Republicans were not invited.

When I first saw articles about the march in the Atlanta paper, I thought that it seemed strange that, seemingly out of nowhere, there were articles about extending the act and telling people where and how they could attend activities on this. The law was passed in 1965, applying to selected states, to end barriers to the registration of black voters: such as the poll tax, literacy tests, and difficulties with courthouse access. However, it is forty years old and had been extended once to 2007 and seemed, to me, to have met its purpose of opening the voting process to blacks. The problems of that period and those places seem to have long been overcome to where the voting process is the same for everyone.

However, there are those who disagree, whether for legitimate reasons or purely political and economic ones. If the reasons are legitimate, then let's hear legitimate discourse. If the reasons are not legitimate, then we can expect to hear shrill speeches and demands from "leaders" whose economic livelihood is dependent upon maintaining division and "leaders" whose political ambitions depend upon catering to the those who can create problems and withhold votes. What I am hearing are the illegitimate (probably a sore word for Jesse Jackson) reasons and shrill outcries for continuing the law.

Here are samples from a news article of what was said at this weekend's hate fest:

"They all need to be locked up because they are all criminals and they are all thieves," said Judge Greg Mathis, the star of the syndicated television program "The Judge Mathis Show." "It is indeed criminal to steal an election and within two years run up a federal deficit of half-a-trillion dollars, send our young people over to Iraq to die for an unjust war. What they are doing is criminal," Mathis said to loud cheers. The Bush administration was equated with past policies of slavery and segregation and labeled "the enemy of our (black America's) progress" by Mathis. "They shot and missed when they enslaved, segregated and oppressed our people. They shot and missed when they stole the past two presidential elections. They shot and missed when they denied our right to vote," Mathis said.

Entertainer/activist Harry Belafonte also used charged rhetoric during the march when he referred to black members of the Bush administration as "black tyrants."

"Some changes have to be made so we don't have a repeat of 2000 and 2004 where there was intimidation and discrepancies at the polls," (Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California) told Cybercast News Service during the voting rights march.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) echoed the accusation of many at the march that Bush was an illegitimate president. "The last two elections were stolen. They were stolen and so we will not rest until we reclaim our democracy and this is what today is all about," Lee told the crowd gathered. Lee also called the war in Iraq "unnecessary, immoral and illegal" and added "our nation was lied to in order to justify this invasion and occupation."

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) made it clear who the marchers were directing their anger at on Saturday. "We are here to take on President Bush, [Vice President] Dick Cheney. We are here to take on [House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay. We are here to take on the new appointee to the Supreme Court, John Roberts," Waters said from the podium to cheers from the crowd. 'Cause Mother Earth so much pain'

Also, adding their criticisms of The Bush administration was Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), who said America was being ruled by the "Bush mentality."

Musician Stevie Wonder said, "Having to demand that we have a bill that will guarantee the voting rights of all American citizens forever is ridiculous." "At this time we have a choice to make. Father God is watching while we cause Mother Earth so much pain. It's such a shame. Not enough money for the young, the old, the poor, but for war there is always more," Wonder said. (Stevie, money isn't for the war. The money is to free people--the young, old, poor, and all. The war is just the tool to accomplish that freedom. P.S. I liked you on that one episode on The Cosby Show.)

"Race baiters and discriminators may go underground, but they never move out of town," Jesse Jackson said (with his special rhyming ability.)

Okay, that's enough. It's apparent that the speakers are either challenged with facts or integrity.

So, why is all of this necessary? Why all the rhetoric? What position has the Bush Administration taken to bring on all of this vile talk? Here it is:

...the Bush administration and House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) have indicated that they would support full reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act provisions in 2007....

Okay, so what's the problem of Jackson and his band? It's not the Voting Rights Act. That is a smokescreen. Bush has signed on to that. This group is after economic and political power, but in a way that is not honest and has no sincere concern for those who feel that they need leadership. What these people said and the messages they delivered do not build bridges or win civil rights goals. What they say creates and festers hate--for the selfish goals of those making the comments rather than for the people who should be helped.

This charade is not about Voting Rights. It's about Right Voting--meaning votes for the left-wing, activist, in-your-face Democrats who will prop up the civil rights pimps and shake-down artists and make idle promises to the masses. Their jobs suffer unless they can create division and distrust among the races and with our nation's leaders.

The black community, and our nation, deserve better than this so-called leadership. Improvements come with better understandings instead of hateful attacks.

The left never learns.