VOTING PURGE RAISES CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS

Governor Rick Scott Should Be Impeached
By Victor M Adamus

I was born and raised in Florida.  And even though I followed my Dad to the Pentagon when I was 9 years old, I returned in 1979 and but for a brief 5 years, left again only to return to my home state. 

Back in the early 50’s we kids would sneak out at night to watch a Klan gathering; we heard stories of native American indian tribes stop cars on U.S. 1 and bargain for their money or what they had in their cars; we learned about girls who dropped out of high school to work the farms and some who traveled to Flagler Beach when the New York bankers came to town.  They made more money having sex with the bankers then they could make in a year on the farm.  We all knew there was no police control on our beaches, so High School kids would fish, catch lobster and drink beer.  It was a way of life back then.  Even swimming nude was acceptable and families enjoyed those outings as much as we enjoyed watching them.  People came to Florida to party because they couldn’t do what they wanted in  northern states.  This was a land of the free and I was sad to see upon my return in 1979 that all this had changed.  The state legislature was taken over by northerners and religious groups and in order to form a more screwed up union, they placed laws and taxes on people who were property owners and tourists who came to vacation at Disney World.

We were home to Apollo and Walter Cronkite.  The Space Shuttle program would be our anchor for 30 years of space exploration.  Real Estate would boom and the population on the space coast grew from 48,000 to 550,000 in 15 short years.  Yet it still had that hometown flavor.  You had to drive to Orlando to get that big city feeling. 

But something went terribly wrong for Floridians in the late 90’s.   Governor Jeb Bush’s brother George W ran for president against Vice President Al Gore.  The vote was separated by 537 votes and it was Florida, the swing state, that would determine the next President of the United States.  A challenge of paper ballots was approved which made history known as the dangling chads.  Tiny circles of punched paper that either stuck to the voting ballot or was dangling off an edge.  The Secretary of State enforced a deadline which eliminated counting the absentee ballots and the Supreme Court agreed and appointed George W Bush President.  It should have gone to court.  Most Floridians agreed Gore won the state.  But the count was stopped.  We had egg on our face.

In the eight years of Republican dominance the Koch Brothers wheeled in their so called educational arm, a lobby group, financed by the National Rifle Association and fortune 100 companies to write bills for the legislature that would impact gun carry laws, stand your ground laws, and take away health care rights for females. 

Rick Scott

Yesterday things got even worse down here.  Governor Rick Scott (R-FL) started a purge of DMV records to remove as many Democrats and Independents from the voting records in all of Florida’s counties.  Scott is trying desparately to grease the state for a Mitt Romney win in November and is doing it openly.  Letters to 182,000 people who voted in the last election were told they had 30 days to prove their American citizenship or they could not vote.  One retiree, a surviving World War II veteran, has stirred up a hornets nest being denied his right to vote.  Bill Internicola, who fought in the battle of the Buldge and was awarded a bronze star, got the letter that he was ineligible to vote.  Here’s a guy who fought the evil empire and helped win it.  And here in Florida, just by being a registered Democrat he was taken off the voting rolls.  He has 30 days to prove he’s anAmerican citizen.  We all know it’s time for the Justice Department to jump in and reverse this attack on our voting rights.  We also know that the Republicans have lost faith already in their candidate and are resorting to cheating to get the win here in November.  We know more Koch Brother tricks are planned; maybe have the state troopers park outside the voting polls to intimidate black voters like was done in past elections. 

This is what Florida has come to.  A Commie legislature, a Commie Governor, running the state for their parties interests only.  To hell with the Constitution.  It’s not the Florida I loved when growing up.  Not anymore.  This is a Florida that needs to be placed under a Federal quarantine.  Impeach Governor Rick Scott and start all over again.