There was a time when the Department of Justice was well respected as the non-partisan part of any administration. Regardless of which party was in power, one would expect the Department of Justice to enforce the law and remain above the fray. However, under Eric Holder, the DOJ has become highly political. While he refused to prosecute the black panthers, who were caught in the act of voter suppression, he has filed suits against vote ID laws in several states.
A judge already blocked the Voter ID law in Wisconsin. The Judge, David Flanagan said the law was unconstitutional because it required people to prove they were eligible to vote before casting a ballot. One example was Ricky Tyrone Lewis, a Marine Corps Veteran. He apparently could not obtain a copy of his birth certificate. As a veteran, I can guarantee you that Mr. Lewis had a birth certificate when he enlisted in the Marines. That is just the way it works. In the other case, Ruthelle Frank, has voted in every election for the last 64 year, but does not have a voter ID card. She apparently found her birth certificate but her name was misspelled. It appears as if the voter registration people tried to help her. Theysuggested she provide a certified copy of her birth certificate with the incorrect spelling. Apparently, the judge thought this was too much to ask.
Obviously neither of these people was able to provide a copy of their birth certificate. How did they enroll in school? How did they get a social security card? How did they get a driver’s license? How did they get through life without ever providing anyone a copy of their birth certificate? This is beyond absurd. Apparently this Judge believes that anyone who says they are eligible to vote should be allow to vote with no questions asked. As long as you voted before, that should be good enough. How dare the people in Wisconsin try to limit voting to people who are actually eligible to vote?
Now the DOJ is riding in on a white horse to enforce truth and justice. Does anyone really think the DOJ is only interested in making sure this election is fair? At a minimum, this reeks of a last minute partisan maneuver. The justification for this intervention is the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But this is Wisconsin, not Mississippi, and even in Mississippi things are a lot different than they were in 1965.
On August 16, 1937, Franklin Delano Roosevelt wrote a letter to Luther c. Steward, President of the National Federation of Federal Employees. He was declining an invitation to attend the “Twentieth Jubilee Convention of the Federation of Federal Employees.”
FDR’s stern warning resonates today. He warned that granting collective bargaining to government employees is a threat to democracy. Follower are some excerpts from that letter:
“I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees.” He pointed out that a strike by a public sector union would be: “nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied.”
That is exactly what happened in Wisconsin. The public sector unions were outraged when Governor Walker tried to reduce their bloated benefits, so they tried to shut down the government. Democrats in the Wisconsin legislature even fled the state in a failed attempt to block Governor Walker. Massive protests attempted to shut down the government and protestors were even bused in from out of state. When these tactics failed to work, the unions launched the effort to recall Governor Walker. That is the reason for the election tomorrow.
There is more at stake in Wisconsin than the political career of Governor Scott Walker. The real question is whether democracy itself will prevail. If the Unions prevail and Walker is recalled, we can expect a repeat of the turmoil in Wisconsin all over the United States. On the other hand, if Walker prevails, the people of Wisconsin will have sent a strong message that will resonate through the 2012 election cycle.
No one said this would be easy. It took Scott Walker, a man of incredible courage, to dare challenge the power of the public sector unions. The unions responded with exactly the type of militant tactics FDR abhorred. But this time it didn’t work. The people of Wisconsin refused to be intimidated and they stood up to the tyranny. They reminded everyone that we still are a country of the people, for the people, by the people.
Even if the unions win the election tomorrow, they will still lose. They may be able to hold on to power, for a while, but their power to intimidate is gone forever. Win or lose, Governor Walker stood up to them and ultimately that changes everything. But I don’t think they will win. I think the people of Wisconsin are made of sterner stuff and I think they will take back their state.
On Wisconsin.
TDM