The Return of Tricky Dick

Do you remember the Nixon Administration or, if you’re too young, have you at least heard about it?  Our 37^th President, Richard Milhous Nixon, might as well have changed his middle name to “Doghouse” since that’s where he always seemed to land in public opinion because of his tragic flaw of wanting to “win” … and win “big” … at any cost.  Whether it was having his White House Special Investigations Unit (a.k.a., the “Plumbers”) try to stop "leaks" by ransacking Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office or gain a strategic advantage by breaking into the Democratic National Committee’s offices at the Watergate, Nixon just couldn’t seem to help himself.  He garnered the nickname “Tricky Dick” as a testimony to his nefarious ways, and in my opinion, he was a satirist’s “dream” (even naming his reelection committee the Committee to Re-Elect the President … or CREEP for short).  And just when I thought we were “not going to have Dick Nixon to kick around any more” (his famous quote after losing the Presidential election to John F. Kennedy in 1960), our two major Parties begin to “channel” him.

In the past week, I’ve received e-mails and/or phone messages ostensibly from Vice President Biden, Minority Leader Boehner, former Speaker Gingrich, former Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Palin, and a variety of their lackeys (particularly on the Democratic side) ... all claiming to be interested in my support.  I’m fine with that.  I’m even fine with an appeal for money (which everyone but Boehner and Palin made).  I realize that our system is broken and that getting elected is all about the cash.  What I find to be insulting is the ludicrous way in which the the messages are crafted.

The “elephants in the room” warn that:

“America is at an historic crossroads. Despite the mounting challenges facing our nation, Democrats in control of Congress are turning a deaf ear to the voices of the American people.  Bent on runaway spending, failed ‘stimulus’ policies, and ever-increasing federal regulation, it’s clear that Washington’s priorities do not reflect those of the American public.”

I agree that “America is at an historic crossroads.”  We can continue to support divisive politics, or we can draw a line in the sand and say, “It’s not about you getting elected.  It’s about us retaining the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.  Stop the ‘trash talking’ and offer some solutions.”   I rather doubt that all Democrats are genetically predisposed to “runaway spending” and “ever-increasing federal regulation.”  Even if it was true, it doesn’t necessarily mean that these “priorities do not reflect those of the American public.”  I’m sure there are segments of our population that support increased federal regulation and spending to promote what they consider to be vital social change.  Can’t the Republican Party just respect the fact that those individuals have the right to their beliefs?

The “donkeys in the room” (and that’s about as “politically correct” as I’ll ever get because the joke was just too easy) are even more asinine (… okay, so I gave into the temptation) stating:

• “Yesterday morning, Republicans unveiled their plan for governing -- their Pledge to America.
• They're pledging to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires.
• They're pledging to roll back regulations on big oil and Wall Street.
• They're pledging to strike down rules reining in the credit card lenders and the insurance companies.
• They're pledging to increase the deficit by trillions of dollars.
• Their agenda is a windfall for the folks spending millions to put them back in power -- the lobbyists, the big corporations, and the special interests.
• We're not sitting by watching this scheme become a reality. Our plan to win this fall is as different from that of the GOP as our agenda for the country.
• We've got organizers on the ground in every state, working with campaigns and volunteers to coordinate an unprecedented voter-turnout operation.
• We're knocking on thousands of doors and making millions of calls to get our voters out to the polls.
• We pay for this work with our By the People Fund -- and we're trying to reach 3 million grassroots donations through the course of this campaign.
• To stay on pace, we need 5,241 donations by the end of the week.
• Can you chip in $5 or more to help us meet our goal?"
• "This Republican Pledge to America is nothing new. Even John Boehner said, "We are not going to be any different than we've been."
• They're offering up the very same agenda that put us on a path to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
• That means they're not prepared to discuss protecting Social Security and Medicare.
• They have no plan for education or teachers.
• They offer up no solutions to the outsourcing of American jobs.
• They lay out no plans to invest in key industries like clean energy and manufacturing.
• They don't talk about rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and railways.
• With your help, we can send the Republicans back to the drawing board.
• Together, we'll make sure the country never returns to the failed policies of the past. But that means moving forward with our plan to win the 2010 elections.
• Please support the By the People Fund today.”

Hey, it’s me again … the Common Sense Czar.  Sorry for the long delay … but if nothing else, the Democrats certainly are verbose.  They’re apparently also quite comfortable with misrepresenting the facts … or at least presenting them in a very “unique” way that is favorable to their cause.  At least we now know the price at which they are willing to sell their integrity … $5.  The Democratic rhetoric presupposes that no one will actually read the Pledge to America.  After all, it is 48 pages long.  Oh contraire!  They forgot about the Common Sense Czar.

You see, common sense tells me that even the Republicans aren’t stupid enough to say what the Democrats suggest they said.  It turns out that my instincts were correct.  While I don’t expect you to take the time to read the Pledge to America, suffice it to say that the Democrats apparently didn’t read it either.  But why should it be any different than the Health Care Reform Bill?  However, I do recommend that you page through it … because some of the pictures of our country are absolutely magnificent (seriously)!

It is worth noting that the Democrats fear that “There's a small group of billionaires and corporate special interests that are trying to buy their way back into power … spending their fortunes to defeat our folks and elect some of the most right-wing Republicans this country has ever seen,” and Vice President Biden shared that “some of the Republicans running now are not from your grandfather's Republican Party. They're from the Republican Tea Party …” Personally, I don’t understand all the concern about the “Tea Party.”  If the current Administration condones “Beer Summits,” why does it worry so much about a little “Tea Party?”  I think they’re going overboard (no pun intended).

But back to the “billionaires and corporate special interests that are trying to buy their way back into power.”  Now, that sounds serious to me.  Then, I noticed a recently released report about the personal wealth of our Congressional leadership.  Guess what?  Seven of the ten richest Congressman and Senators were Democrats (with Senator John Kerry (D) leading the charge).  Their cumulative net worth exceeds that of their Republican counterparts by more than 223 percent. If you extend the study to include the top 50 earners, the Republicans begin to catch up but still trail the Democrats 27 to 23.  Throw in Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, a George Soros or two, and the majority of jet-setting celebrity millionaires who like to party at the White House and you can better understand why the Democrats raised over 202 percent more money than the Republicans in the last Presidential election and spent nearly than 220 percent more.  I suspect that my $5 won’t make that much of a difference.  And as for the “corporate specials interests” … well, I just leave it to the “union special interests” to offset the risk.

As the Common Sense Czar, I propose the following:  Can we just call a truce?  Can the Parties just agree not to use fear tactics and “dirty tricks”  to extort money and votes from unsuspecting people?  Can we just leave these tactics buried with Nixon?  It’s either that, or the electorate needs to become better informed.  My new books, The Left isn’t Right / The Right is Wrong (offered together in a single “flip” book format) and The National Platform of Common Sense will help, but they may not appeal to the same people the Republicans and Democrats are apparently most interested in soliciting.  You see, there aren’t any pictures to color in my books.

That being said, I do need to give “special props” to the Democrats.  I just love the unwitting honesty they expressed in their closing appeal:  “Please support the By the People Fund today.”  It’s just unfortunate that they misspelled the word “Buy.”  “Tricky Dick” would have gotten that one right!
***** 

Copyright © 2010 T.J. O’Hara. To support viral distribution, this article may be copied, reprinted, forwarded, linked, or published in any form as long as proper attribution is given to the author and no changes are made.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

The Hill is hoping you “Don’t Ask” why a major Defense bill “crashed and burned” today … and if you do, they “Won’t Tell.”  There has been a lot of buzz about Senate Bill 3454 that included a provision to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.  Republican Senators voted unanimously to block debate on the bill and were joined by two Democratic Senators as well.  If you put your ear to the ground, you can almost hear the Liberal rumblings begin to build about how this is just one more example of the homophobic fears of Conservatives.  A certain number of fringe Conservatives are likely to solidify this belief by citing that God doesn’t want gays in the military … although they may be difficult to understand because, frankly, it’s tough to talk when you’ve got your foot in your mouth.  We could leave it at that, but somehow common sense tells me there might be more to this issue.  So, despite their admonishment … let’s “Ask!”

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is the state-of-the-art, “politically correct” policy deployed by the military to theoretically preserve its ban on gays from serving their country.  I think it was based upon some General’s trip to the Washington National Zoo, where the officer observed an ostrich sticking its head in the sand when it got scared.  Clearly part of a Conservative agenda, the original policy and procedures for discharging gay military personnel was passed by Republican President, Harry S. Truman.  Then, in 1993, Republican President William Jefferson Clinton issued Defense Directive 1304.26 as a compromise to an “open door” policy that basically suggested that sexual orientation should remain behind “closed doors” in what came to be known as the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.  Oh, I know what you’re thinking … weren’t Truman and Clinton Democrats?  Maybe in public … but behind “closed doors,” I’m almost positive they were Republicans.

There’s no question that today’s vote went principally along Party lines.  This was clearly a partisan issue.  Interestingly enough, both Democratic Senators who crossed over the Party lines to vote with the Republicans were from Arkansas … Bill Clinton’s old home State.  I don’t attach as much significance to that fact as I do irony.  What I do find interesting is that they both actually supported passage of the repeal.  So, why did they cross over in their own version of the movie “Kill Bill?”

Interestingly enough, the bill wasn’t just restricted to addressing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.  How can that be?  It makes you wonder if there might have been other issues included in the 2,700 page Health Care Reform bill.  Nah!  Our politicians wouldn’t play games like that with us!  They represent “the People!”

So, what else was in this particular Defense bill?  Well, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid had pledged to attach an immigration reform measure to the bill that would create a way to secure citizenship for illegal aliens who came to the United States as children.  Now, you might ask, what does that have to do with Defense?  Plenty!  You see, Harry Reid is in a dead heat in his re-election campaign, and he needs the Hispanic vote to “defend” his seat.  If he could have crammed through some immigration reform with the passage of this bill, it could have given him the support he needed to win in November.  So, all of you Gay Rights activists in Nevada, keep that in mind when you go to the polls in the upcoming election … Harry Reid put his re-election above the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Am I sure about this?  Unfortunately, “Yes!”  You see, Majority Leader Reid (and I use the term “Leader” loosely) is on record as saying he was going to attach his immigration amendment to the bill as well as several other Democratic, election-related amendments.  Oh, and by the way, he also stated that he was going to limit the amendments offered by the Republicans and shut down debate on the issue.  So much for Freedom of Speech … or maybe it just doesn’t apply to partisan politics.

One of the Democratic Senators who crossed Party lines, Blanche Lincoln, said, “There are many controversial issues in this bill.  They deserve to have a civil, fair and open debate on the Senate floor, and that is why I am so disappointed that rather than allowing full and open debate and the opportunity for amendments from both sides of the aisle, the Majority Leader apparently intends to shut down the debate and exclude Republicans from offering a number of amendments.”   I guess it took a “Lincoln” to bring the “transparency and bipartisanship” to the Senate that we were assured two years ago ... but then, I probably give too much weight to campaign promises.

It’s worth noting that the House had already passed the Defense authorization bill including the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” provision.  The bill itself concerns the annual Defense budget, and as such, it has been passed by Congress 48 years in a row.  It will undoubtedly pass again after the November elections.  The bill’s deferment (no pun intended) is probably not such a bad thing since a taxpayer funded report on the whole “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” issue isn’t even due to be available until December 1st.  Common sense suggests that it might be worthwhile not to render a decision on that particular provision until the results of the study are presented.  Otherwise, why did we bother to have the assessment conducted?

Not that politics had anything to do with it, but Harry Reid’s maneuvering was fairly well calculated.  Had he pulled off his coup, he probably would have attracted a lot of Hispanic votes for himself and his colleagues who are up for re-election.  By forcing the Republicans to threaten to “filibuster” the bill, he once again positioned them as the “Party of No” … at least among less informed members of the electorate.  Had poor Harry not been “outed” by Senator Lincoln (no pun intended), everything would have been just fine.  If you don’t think this was entirely “political,” Majority Leader Reid switched his vote to “No” at the last minute to preserve the right for him to call for a revote.

The real irony is that it didn’t really matter what the Senate did.  President Obama was already on record as saying he was going to veto the House bill because of a provision it had concerning additional funding for the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.  Remember, the bill is actually supposed to address the Defense budget!  So, kudos to the President if he really would have vetoed the bill based upon principle … but of course we’ll never know … and he probably “Won’t Tell!”

And even though you didn’t “Ask,” I’m going to “Tell” you where common sense says we need to “come out” on this one.  The Declaration of Independence, a document of which I am particularly fond, states:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I found no exception in the Declaration pertaining to one’s sexual orientation.  Rest assured, there isn’t one in the Constitution or its Amendments either.  If a person loves the United States and wishes to serve in its military, then so be it.  The “pursuit of Happiness” is part of the Declaration’s guarantee, and “Life” (and its companion “Death”) is included among the “unalienable Rights” with which we have been “endowed.”  Each of us should have the freedom to choose our own course.

If there are any legitimate issues associated with the exercise of these rights, let’s use our collective wisdom to address them.  We seem to have solved the problem of having men and women serve together; I see no reason why we can’t solve this matter of equality as well.  In effect, we already have … by ignoring the reality that gays have been serving in the military for decades.  Politically, we’ve just chosen to bury our heads in the sand.   So, henceforth, I commend thee (spoken in a true, Czar-like voice):  “Don’t Ask” a person’s race, religion, gender, sexual-orientation, political persuasion, etc. when it’s irrelevant … and “Don’t Tell” them they are somehow “unequal.”  So says the Common Sense Czar!

*****
Copyright © 2010 T.J. O’Hara. To support viral distribution, this article may be copied, reprinted, forwarded, linked, or published in any form as long as proper attribution is given to the author and no changes are made.

For the Love of God!

You’ve probably heard that we have a pastor in Gainesville, Florida, who wants to make a “statement” on September 11^th to “commemorate” the terrorist attack that occurred on that date in 2001.  Pastor Terry Jones intends to burn the Muslim holy book on the ninth anniversary of that tragic event.  That’s very "Christian" of him.

His congregation is believed to number around 50 members.  Who would have thought that he could ever have garnered that much support?  You’ve just got to love the name of the church as well:  the Dove World Outreach Center.  A “dove” is often used as symbol of peace.  “World Outreach” generally implies an “open-arms” approach to the world around you (and I mean “arms” in the literal sense … rather than in the colloquial sense of “weapons”).  As best as I can tell, “Center” must stand for “center of attention” … which appears to be the only reason for threatening to perpetrate this act.

Pastor Jones purports to be a “non-denominational, charismatic Christian.”  Let’s break that down.  I’ll go along with the “non-denominational” part.  What denomination would want to claim him?  As for “charismatic” … I think he only qualifies in the same sense as that other renowned, former religious leader with a similar name:  Jim Jones.  And “Christian?”  I think not!  I recall something in the Bible about “Love thy neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).  It’s also in the Torah (Leviticus 19:18), just in case Pastor Jones wants to convert.  I don’t know about you, but burning someone else’s holy book just doesn’t seem “neighborly” to me.

Then, there’s the whole issue of the Commandment:  “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).  Heck, I believe the Qu’ran says, “And do not take any human being's life - that God willed to be sacred - other than in justice” (17:33).  The reason I bring this up is because there are always radicals who will look for an excuse to exercise an exception to the rule … just like there were 19 of them on September 11, 2001.  Needlessly throwing gasoline onto their fire seems to be a poor choice of alternatives for putting out the flames.

But Pastor Jones may know better.  After all, his ministerial career began at the Christliche Gemeinde Köln, a church in Cologne, Germany, until he was thrown out because of his untenable theological rhetoric.  Church members there reported that he ran the church like a sect and applied psychological pressure on members of its congregation to force them to abide by his will.  It sounds to me like he picked the right country … he just missed it by 60-70 years.

Pastor Jones also runs a boarding school called the Dove World Outreach Academy.  The local Gainesville newspaper (the Gainesville Sun) reported that the Academy’s students are prohibited from having any contact with their families (including attending family funerals, weddings, etc.).  On the bright side, they’re taught a trade.  They get to sell, pack, and ship furniture for TS and Company, which is a business owned by Sylvia Jones (a senior pastor at the church and Pastor Jones’ second wife).  Oh, and did I mention that they get to do it without compensation?  Nice!  Just as an aside … Hey kids!  Don’t drink the Kool Aid!

Pastor Jones has routinely castigated Islam (and probably any other religion that disagreed with his position); he has made a habit of bashing gays (at least in the non-literal sense); and he obviously has a strong interest in shaping the minds of young children (… what could possibly go wrong with that?).  As a result, he is willing to put our overseas troops at risk … as well as every one of our citizens.

I say that because I’ve got this gut feeling that there just may be a few radicals who didn’t go down with a plane back in 2001.  So, when this “man of the cloth” waves a red cape at them, they’re likely to look at it as another excuse to charge.  Common sense tells me that we really don’t need the good Pastor’s “help” in that regard.  Ever since our politicians openly declared that our combat troops have been withdrawn from Iraq, our remaining support troops have been subjected to a higher level of attacks.  You see, in the absence of our combat troops, our perimeters have collapsed and the terrorists have been able to move closer to the troops who have been left behind.  Good call, Washington!  And now, we have this moron trying to express his animus in a way that will further threaten out troops.

But don’t think that the threat will end there.  I’m not really sure that the terrorist cells will respect our borders and only carry out their activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.  No, I think there is a good chance that Pastor Jones’ act may cause the terrorists to broaden and accelerate their response within our own shores.  Still, I’m sure the ACLU will defend his First Amendment right to exercise “free speech.”

I seem to recall an exception to that right.  The classic example is that you can’t yell “Fire!” in a movie theater because it might cause people to panic and be hurt in the process.  As the Common Sense Czar, I say that we should apply the same exception to Pastor Jones and preclude him from “lighting fire” to a Muslim holy book.  With our luck, he’ll perform his stunt in an area suffering from draught and burn down half of the State of Florida.  “Fire!” anyone?

Do I think that we have the guts to exercise this “common sense” exception to the First Amendment?  Probably not!  After all, we have citizens who participate in equally benighted and despicable acts such as burning the American flag and picketing the funerals of our fallen soldiers.  We’re very fervent about protecting these “rights” … which, perhaps, are morally misguided.  I just hope that those who would burn our flag and support the pastor’s “right” to burn the Qu’ran won’t be attending any funerals as a result of his selfish act (or at least not picketing them).

Mark Twain once said, “So much blood has been shed by the Church because of an omission from the Gospel: ‘Ye shall be indifferent as to what your neighbor's religion is.’”  It was true then; and it is still true today.  It reminds me of another one of Twain’s stories that I have always cherished.  He was apparently concerned that God’s creatures did not seem to get along, so he told the falling tale:

“To get matters in hand, I built a cage, and in it I put a dog and a cat. And after a little training, I got the dog and cat to the point where they lived peaceably together. Then I introduced a pig, a goat, a kangaroo, some birds and a monkey. And, after a few adjustments, they learned to live in harmony. So encouraged was I by such successes that I added an Irish Catholic, a Presbyterian, a Jew, a Muslim ... and a Buddhist ... along with a Baptist missionary ... And in a very short while there wasn’t a single living thing left in the cage.”

Some things never change …

Rather than to “symbolically” burn a holy book to impress 50 members of a meaningless congregation and a few brain-washed Academy attendees, why don’t we apply some common sense.  Let’s choose to honor the victims who lost their lives on that tragic day in 2001 rather than bringing attention to the terrorists who took their lives.  Let’s sincerely express our deepest sympathy to the families of the victims rather than showing the same level of hatred, stupidity and extremism demonstrated by the terrorists on that dark day.  And let’s stand strong as a Nation in defense of our citizens and of our troops, so that neither may be needlessly threatened by this type of insanity.

For the love of God, Pastor Jones … “Stand Down!”

*****

Copyright © 2010 Dr. T.J. O’Hara. To support viral distribution, this article may be copied, reprinted, forwarded, linked, or published in any form as long as proper attribution is given to the author and no changes are made.

You Have My Vote!

Do you know that we have military troops stationed overseas?  Do you know that in some areas of their deployment, they do not enjoy all of the creature comforts that those of us who reside in the United States do?  Do you know, for example, that Afghanistan’s mail system isn’t as efficient as the United States Postal System?  Stop laughing!  It really isn’t!  I think their pack mule died (Afghanistan’s equivalent to the Pony Express) … or they ate it.  I’m not sure, but I do know that it’s not as reliable as our postal system … with or without Saturday delivery.

Why do I bring this up?  It seems that a percentage of our military personnel that is stationed overseas are at risk of not having their votes counted in the November election … once again.  Why do I say, “once again?”  Well, because it keeps happening!

Do you remember the 2000 Presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore?  Do you remember the controversy in Florida with the “hanging chads?”  During that storied recount, local election officials discarded hundreds, and perhaps even thousands, of military absentee ballots because they weren’t legible, weren’t signed, or weren’t notarized.  And that was just one State.

Now, if legibility was a standard criterion, a lot of Americans would be in jeopardy of losing their right to vote … and almost no physician would be eligible to cast a ballot.  I honestly can’t remember the last time I was asked to demonstrate my penmanship before I was permitted to vote.  Maybe my precinct is just lax. 

And when did a notarized signature become so important?  Luckily, this isn’t a big deal for our military personnel because there’s almost always a Notary Public nearby in a combat zone.  But, I don’t want to condemn election officials for applying their rules with great rigor.  Hmmm … that actually gives me an idea.  Doesn’t Acorn have a bunch of registered voters with “rigor mortis?”  Maybe we could get whoever casts their votes for them to serve as surrogate signatories for our military personnel.

Moving on to the next Presidential election in 2004, surely we had time to fix the problem.  Unfortunately, the problem remained.  What about the 2008 Presidential election?  I’m sorry to say that the systemic failure continued.  While we had the greatest overseas military voter participation in the history of our Nation, it is estimated that 25% to 33% of all such votes went “uncounted.”

In fact, we haven’t made a great deal of progress since the 1942 Soldier Voting Act was passed to “ensure” that deployed, active-duty military serving abroad could vote by absentee ballot in the presidential and Congressional races.  Showing that some things never change, Congress amended the Act in 1944 to "recommend" rather than “ensure” that the States would permit absentee balloting for all military members ... proving, once again, that there have always been “weiners” in Congress.

Congress went on to pass the Federal Voting Assistance Act in 1955, which still didn’t guarantee overseas military personnel and their dependents the right to vote absentee.  It wasn’t until 1975, when the Overseas Citizens Voting Rights Act was passed, that overseas military personnel and their dependents received expanded rights to cast absentee ballots.

In 1986, President Reagan signed The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act that allowed individuals to print out a "Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot" if their requested absentee ballot fail to arrive in time.  Unfortunately, this doesn’t cover State or local issues, so there’s no guaranteed way to cast a vote on them.

In 2002, under President Bush (“W”), the National Defense Authorization Act and the Help America Vote Act were passed to create a framework within which each military unit has an appointed Voting Assistance Officer (VAO) who takes responsibility for administering the voting process among military personnel.  It’s important to note that military personnel are required to comply with the unique voting requirements of their respective States and Counties.  Therefore, the VAO must make sure that absentee ballots are mailed to the appropriate County Clerk within the State where each member of the military who casts a vote.  Keep in mind that each State and County may require different registration forms, absentee ballots, submission deadlines and submission requirements (such as witnesses or notarization).  When you’re in a combat zone and literally dealing with “the rockets’ red glare … the bombs bursting in air,” those types of details may become less of a priority.

Then, there’s the issue of the “dead mule” mail system in Afghanistan … and its companion … the “dead camel” mail system in Iraq.  When the States don’t get their ballots out sufficiently in advance, our overseas military personnel can’t get them back in time to have them counted.

Finally, our government passed The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act in late October of 2009; one year before the mid-term elections.  The MOVE Act offers the following improvements:

·         It eliminates notarization requirements and other registration requirements otherwise imposed on voters who file under The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act

·         All States must make voter registration, general election information, and absentee ballot applications available electronically, as well as Federal Write-In Absentee Ballots when official ballots don’t arrive in time

·         Overseas military personnel (and other overseas citizens) must re-register for every election cycle instead of every other election cycle

·         And, starting this year, all States must mail ballots a minimum of 45-days prior to the election (to account for the challenges of foreign mail systems).

As the Common Sense Czar, I approve of these measures.  Of course, that assumes that they are actually enforced by the Department of Justice.  You see, States can petition for waivers … and many have.  Mostly because they run their primaries in late August through mid-to-late September and can’t get their ballots printed in time to meet this year’s cut-off date of September 18th.  Hopefully, some of these geniuses will figure out a way to use a fax machine, an electronic file, or even Al Gore’s invention, the Internet, as a work-around.  Then again, they could have just moved their primaries up a month … but that would have been too easy a solution (kudos to Minnesota and Vermont for having actually done it).

Enter the Department of Justice!  It said it would file suit against any State that doesn’t voluntarily comply.  That’s a strong statement!  Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands all requested waivers, but the DOJ denied the requests just last week.  Way to go DOJ!

But wait a minute … the DOJ also granted waivers to Delaware, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington.  What’s up with that?  It probably has something to do with the dates.  Let’s see:

·         Colorado                             August 10th                   - DENIED

·         Washington’s                      August 17th                   - APPROVED

           

·         Alaska                                August 24th                   - DENIED

·         The Virgin Islands                September 11th              - DENIED

·         Delaware                             September 14th             - APPROVED

·         Massachusetts                    September 14th             - APPROVED

·         New York                            September 14^th              - APPROVED

·         Rhode Island                       September 14th              - APPROVED

·         Wisconsin                           September 14^th              - DENIED

·         Washington, D.C.                September 14th              - DENIED

·         Hawaii                                 September 18th             - DENIED

Okay, no “rhyme nor reason” there.  Does anyone have a clue as to why the approvals and denials appear to be so random?  Post a comment if you have a theory.

Since the Health Care Reform Act suggests that we clearly have the technology to track the medical records of every single man, woman, and child in the United States, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to track who is serving in our military overseas and approximately where they are at any moment in time.  Then, we could make sure that they receive the information and tools they need to cast their ballots in a manner that ensures that their votes will be counted.  In that regard, I would be remiss if I didn’t give “special props” to West Virginia for launching a pilot program to facilitate electronic voting for military personnel.  While not everyone stationed overseas will be in a position to cast an electronic vote, it’s still nice to see that some States might be trying to incorporate modern technology at least to the degree possible.

As for the rest of the States … you’d better get your act together and make sure that every single one of your residents who is serving in our military overseas that wants to vote … GETS TO VOTE!

The Common Sense Czar is watching … and he isn’t too happy!

P.S.  This absentee ballot issue impacts about 1.4 million of our military personnel serving overseas and approximately 400 thousand of their voting-age dependents.  They routinely put themselves in harm’s way to protect and preserve our freedom.  The least we can do in return is to protect and preserve the integrity of their votes.  They never let us down … so, let’s not drop the ball on this one.  Write your Congressmen and Senators to let them know how you feel ... and send a message to those who serve in the military:  "You have my vote!"

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Copyright © 2010 Dr. T.J. O’Hara. To support viral distribution, this article may be copied, reprinted, forwarded, linked, or published in any form as long as proper attribution is given to the author and no changes are made.