Jun. 22, 2006 - 20:00 MDT

AUNTY BELLUM

Makes me wonder sometimes, (that's my job), why Congress makes some acts temporary when for all we know that situation will not be a temporary thing. So why is something like this happening. ?

An article in this morning's Rocky Mountain News by Laurie Kellman of The Associated Press -- herein quoted in full:

FRACTIOUS HOUSE GOP STALLS RENEWAL OF VOTING RIGHTS

WASHINGTON -- "Renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which eliminated many anti-black voting practices, suffered a setback Wednesday when House Republicans disagreed on whether to require bilingual ballots and federal oversight of nine mostly Southern states."

"The dissension in a closed caucus meeting grew so intense that it forced Republican leaders to postpone indefinitely a scheduled vote on renewing the act."

"It was the second time in just over a week that House GOP leaders stalled action on priorities on their election-year agenda Immigration overhaul was the other issue."

"On the voting rights bill, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and three other leaders only promised a vote on the renewal "as soon as possible." The uncertainty in the House led Senate schedulers to hold off on a plan to advance an identical bill next week."

"Apparently, the leadershipp of the Republican Party cannot bring its own rank-and-file members into line to support the Voting Rights Act," said Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., who represents Selma and Birmingham, the heart of the civil-rights movement."

"That ought to be a significant embarrassment as they fan around the country trying to skim off a few black votes in the next four months," Davis said."

"House Republican leaders said the postponement reflects their effort to respond to dissenting GOP lawmakers. They noted that the temporary provisios of the act do not expire untill 2007."

"We have time to address their concerns," Republican leaders said in a joint statement. "Therefore, the House Republicans leadership will offer members the time needed to evaluate the legislation."

"Several Republicans, many from Southern states, complained at the meeting that the renewal unfairly singled out nine states for federal oversight, without according them credit for making strides against discriminatory voting practices in their pasts."

"Republican dissenters also wanted to chip away at a part of the act that requires ballots to be printed in several languages in districts with large immigrant populations."

+++++++

Makes me wonder, if the southern states think they are so blinkin' pure now that they don't want the act to have any teeth, just what the heck do they have up their sleeve ? ? ? ?

I lived in Florida from 1950 until just before the start of school in early fall of 1960. I saw the way folks were treated there, and that was probably better than they were treated in other southern states. I saw the fear, and the way some people were treated as a matter of course. I have my doubts that things won't go back to the way they were before the Act was passed.

Seems to me that the act should be renewed in its entirety. Then after its renewal into a permanent status (no sunset) perhaps a few adjustments could be made -- none of which would affect the rights of the people living in the states of the south.

Otherwise there would be nothing to stop folks there from forcing some people to go back to living in the house of AUNTY BELLUM . . . . . . . . . . .

Blog