Bad Animal,

Are you serious?! I do not understand your logic.

This article is about voting and the attempts by a scared political party to restrict as many opposing votes as possible. How in the world did you equate the perceived color of Jesus with this story?!

Since you addressed the subject, what "color" is YOUR Jesus? Before MY Jesus died on the cross, he did not mention the stupid social construct of race; MY Jesus spoke of unity, forgiveness, equality, love, and eternal life. What did YOUR Jesus preach?

Doubtind - This article is about voting and the attempts by a scared political party to restrict as many opposing votes as possible.

Really? I thought it was about the 60,000 recently discovered registered dead voters in North Carolina? Talk about stealing elections....

Funny that the discovery was in North Carolina don't you think?

Well considering there is no actually proof Jebus ever existed in the first place I don't see where it matters what color they paint him. However if you really want to be ethnic about it your book of mythology states he was a Jew born in the middle east which would make him a medium dark brown.....

@flash8 those votes of course were not being used they just hadn't been purged from the rolls because of Republican incompetence....

The actual number of SUSPECTED voter fraud in the entire 2008 election amounted to less than a thousand (considerably less) and most of it was for the Republican party.....

I think Bad Animal was bringing out the hypocrisy of the christians who are placing roadblocks to voting. As the story stated, many churches who are primarily black would in the past make it a community event to go vote after Sunday services. Now Sunday voting is not permitted. Not only is it un-American to block the vote, it also displays a lack of ethics and character. And I would bet you that those who make it difficult, those who target the minoritys or democrats or ANY VOTER, would consider themselves "church-going Christians". Its a disgrace and makes much for the irrationality of religion of any kind being combined with the government. So you have the white Jesus and the black one. In Brazil, Mary is believed to have been black. If indeed she was, how would those white Christians react to that news? They probably would switch to some "foreign" religion or something......LOL.

No dead voters in North Carolina. You making up the news?

I'll address your little hate spewed comment as it was intended by you.....I'm a White Jesus and voting for Obama, but if you weren't so ignorant you would know that the real Jesus was brownish, being of Middle East ethnicity. Many people of African extraction died trying to achieve many rights that as white people we automatically were granted, the vote is only one right they were denied, and history seems to be repeating itself. It is my opinion that these new voting laws are advanced by the Republicans to diminish the black Democratic vote and continue that long history of racism in the country.

The Republicans would be ashamed if they were capable of shame as they have made their mission to make Obama a one term president while sacrificing the American public along the way by throwing one obstruction after another before bills that would have benefitted our country i.e. the Jobs Bill. Now the Republicans are throwing additional obstructions in regards to citizens' ability to vote. A law for which there is no evidence of voter fraud. These laws, history will show, were put in place to continue the ugly history in our country of denying African Americans the right to vote, especially the poor. By not passing bills that would have helped the American people and the economy the Republicans have proven that they hate Obama more than they love America.

The actual number of SUSPECTED voter fraud in the entire 2008 election amounted to less than a thousand (considerably less) and most of it was for the Republican party.....

Complete lie, and we have no way of measuring voter fraud anyway, because radical leftists won't let us check ID's. These "studies" are meaningless because of it. All we know is that votes for people who are on the voter rolls are cast, but we have no way of knowing if it is by the person themselves or someone else, because we don't check ID.

Are you with the people who understand sarcasm or are you a Republican ?

Chesty- The only way we can say voter fraud is a big problem is if we know of many cases. We don't.

So, how can their Repub states say it's a huge problem?

Actually we DO know there's voter fraud in absentee ballots--but the Repubs refuse to touch them because they help Repub candidates.

Many vivid anecdotes of purported voter fraud have been proven false or do not demonstrate fraud. Although there are a few scattered instances of real voter fraud, many of the vivid anecdotes cited in accounts of voter fraud have been proven false or vastly overstated. In Missouri in 2000, for example, the Secretary of State claimed that 79 voters were registered with addresses at vacant lots, but subsequent investigation revealed that the lots in question actually housed valid and legitimate residences. Similarly, a 1995 investigation into votes allegedly cast in Baltimore by deceased voters and those with disenfranchising felony convictions revealed that the voters in question were both alive and felony-free.

Many of the inaccurate claims result from lists of voters compared to other lists - of deceased individuals, persons with felony convictions, voters in other states, etc. These attempts to match information often yield predictable errors. In Florida in 2000, a list of purged voters later became notorious when it was discovered that the “matching” process captured eligible voters with names similar to - but decidedly different from - the names of persons with felony convictions, sometimes in other states entirely. A 2005 attempt to identify supposed double voters in New Jersey mistakenly accused people with similar names but whose middle names or suffixes were clearly different, such as “J.T. Kearns, Jr.” and “J.T. Kearns, Sr.,” of being the same person. Even when names and birthdates match across lists, that does not mean there was voter fraud. Elementary statistics students are often surprised to learn that it is more likely than not that among just 23 individuals, two will share a birthday. Similar statistics show that for most reasonably common names, it is extremely likely that at least two people with the same name in a state will share the same date of birth. The ostensible “matches” may not represent the same person at all.

I think the difference between a white Jesus and a black Jesus is that the white Jesus is required to observe the separation of church and state until the gov't wants to butt in. There is no separation for the black Jesus.

Really? I thought it was about the 60,000 recently discovered registered dead voters in North Carolina? Talk about stealing elections....

Funny that the discovery was in North Carolina don't you think?

Not that I don't believe its possible...but, it would be a lot easier to believe if you posted a link to the article which claimed those statistics.

I would be more willing to bet those numbers include normal attrition, meaning the state or locals have an obligation too remove verified dead, people who move from one jurisdiction to another.The failure to do required "house cleaning" on a regular basis,is not proof of voter fraud or intent to defraud - what id does prove is the county was not doing their mandated duty to accurately maintain records.

Its hyperbole like this which makes Republican look desperate.The sky is not falling - what this indicated is a failure of government services, hiring some one to regularly perform house cleaning of records is often the problem.

The solution is not to restrict legal voters, but to keep up with record cleaning. Voters do not have access to the official voter records - if there are inaccuracies - then hire more people (temps if necessary) to cull the records more frequently.

We have seen these kinds of claims pop up before ... however, once the facts were checked - less than 6% of the suspect records have been found to be suspicious.

No cigars for any of yous.

I was just wondering if these churches that are now faced with Republican shenanigans being covered up as something else are worshipping in churches with that blond blue eyed Jesus, another form of duplicity.

Should make one think about worshipping under an image of White Jesus while fighting White hegemony at the polls....

Many vivid anecdotes of purported voter fraud have been proven false or do not demonstrate fraud. Although there are a few scattered instances of real voter fraud, many of the vivid anecdotes cited in accounts of voter fraud have been proven false or vastly overstated.

True ... its not like there are no fake Drivers licenses, credit cards issued to dogs, cats, new borns ... illegal aliens with real document- that are based on solid records from their home country or real names of dead children in another state.

Records are compromised everyday, new identities are manufactured everyday. What is at issue is not front these coyotes are using ... its about the legal, legitimate voters who are being told "your" right to vote is being challenged because "I" and a few other bigots are afraid to allow you "any" dignity if you choose to exercise your right to vote, as an American Citizen.

No thinking person is in any way unaware of the complicit indignity of allowing badly disguised resurgent bias to restrict the rights, prerogatives of other citizens.

They had years to address the problem - if it were a real problem, however, they suspiciously waited until a few weeks, months before pressing the issue - enough time to cause a disturbance - but not enough time to implement a solution or prove/disprove it is actually an egregious challenge to legal voters or question the sinister movtives ... prevent long time, legal voters from exercising their right to vote - in this election.

1POV....

Excellent comment...funny how that "separation of church and state" works sometimes, isn't t !!!

Hes Not

the whole point is to make it EASIER for AMERICANS to vote. Many states have early voting so people vote then if it's more convenient.

It just happens to be more convenient for minorities who vote Democratic, and so Florida and other states want to restrict those days as part of their voter suppression actions.

Early voting is not required and it is not a right.

If anything, it is a convenience, and it may not even be legal, considering that the Constitution requires Congress to set the election day and it has to be the same throughout the nation.

Considering early voting has been supported by states for years, I'm sure it's constitutionally sound.

Votes are counted on election day--so that fulfills the constitutional requirement. Absentee votes aren't listed in the Constitution but they are considered valid.

Sure early voting isn't a right, but when it suddenly gets taken away after years of working fine, it's all political.

This whole issue is bogus.Those that can't get to the polls can be an absentee voter.Since the churches want to get involved in the fray I say it's about time the government taxes them like any other business.

There ain't no poor white people. There ain't no white people that can't get to the voting booth on election day. Blacks can't be racist either!

That like saying Jews will not be disenfranchised - if they changed voting to be on Saturday in areas where there is a high concentration of Jews and the Polling places are farther than walking distance. Lots of employers - do not respect the laws - which explicitly state all employees are allowed reasonable time off - to vote, without reducing suffering a reduction in pay for that time spent, it's the law!!!.

When you start playing a person desire to vote vs. his religion - that is disrespectful of the State to force a devout supplicant to chose between choose between his secular responsibilities and his religious obligations.

Here we are mere weeks before a major election and suddenly Florida can't find the funds to open the polls for early voting on Sunday ... its just coincidental that a. this lack of funding is in Democratic areas. B. in an area peopled by largely Black parishioners. C. these parishioners tend to NOT vote republican. It smacks as very similar to the last election - where they moved the polling places from where votes had been cast for decades long areas, within the neighborhood - to places miles away in neighborhoods with limited public transportation. And wonder of wonders, there just happened be police checkpoints forming a gauntlet , forming a bottle neck on most approaches to the area.

Danm those folks are coincidentally, unlucky - every time an election comes up. Funny how that happens.Almost as peculiar as defective voting machines or hanging chads.

You can't sell that kettle of fish, unless you do so with out approval of pure food and Drug regulations. If you buy that line - then we know who bought all that Florida Swamp land, for housing.

The only people in this country that are disenfranchised is not a racial issue it is an economic issue.The middle class is the most disenfranchised group as far as I can see.

Then stand up for your rights! Those Parishioners are standing up, because its pretty obvious that the "Intent" of the modification has less to do with budget short falls as it does with crudely disguised attempts to "shape" the voting rights as expressed by a blatant disregard for the reasonable desire of people to continue a well established voting patter. How would you see it - if the local school board decided that they couldn't continue to have ... lets say crossing guards at every school at the time school kids are released? The compromise they offer would be, for example - once the kids at one school had safely left their school, they would truck the crossing guards to the schools where your kids attended - then they, your kids, could leave school?

You would rightfully be indignant - might even be suspicious if the reason offered was that it was cheaper to have a smaller number of crossing guards than to have enough to be at all schools at the time the kids actually were able to be picked up by parents as they came home from work ... instead of sitting in traffic waiting for the guards to assist them or have the parents make an extra trip - wasting gas to come back to the school to bring their kids home. More parents have already put plans in place to be at the school at 3 o'clock every day. Their boss is not real agreeable to changing shifts at the drop of a hat.

Essentially that's what is happening - well established, sensible patterns are being disrupted, for no other reason than disrupting a segment of the population who have established an efficient, effective pattern which works for them and the general public.

If you think you defend the change as anything other than a sham method of restricting voting - I'd like to hear it.

If you've been to a grocery store on a Saturday, to do the family shopping and found 20 checkers stations going idle - with only 3 or 4 checkers working, people lined up 20 deep and each of them with 2 or 3 carts worth of food - Pretty sure you would be upset if the manager told you he let all the rest go to lunch. Even knowing that would cause massive lines... I would just leave the carts in the line and use another store for my shopping.

Needless congestion is not a valid excuse to screw with voting patterns - when all those voters are crammed into 1/2 as many stations - its not going to be a happy experience for anyone. Its not like they know these voter are going to be dissuaded from voting - its just going to make the line longer everywhere else. they are going to go to new places to vote and line will form.

Were there the millions of people then. Put on your thinking cap. What planet are you living on ?

A lot of country's have voting day as "Holiday" on their calendars. That way everyone can vote. I think it's time the president makes it legal here. National voting day". Then everyone would have a chance to get to the polls.

The voting Laws ... requires (already) that employer's have to make a reasonable accommodation to allow workers time to vote. Some allow you leave a little earlier, come in a little later or extend "lunch" a little longer.

You shouldn't have to take a whole day off (at least not with Pay)... just to cast your vote. Of course that changes through out the country. Some states require that you are required to go to a specific polling location to vote, others allow you to vote at any open polling station.

the biggest problem come when you commute to work - some with round trips of 50 - 60 miles or more. During the commute hours it may take 2 - 3 hours to get home (to vote at your designated polling station).

Personally, I've been voting by absentee ballot - whenever it is available, saves time, hassle and affords me time to study the candidates as well as preventing my ballot being 'lost' somewhere between the polling station and the collection point. After all - there are a lo of Conservatives with a lot of free time, no telling what kind of mischief they can get up to when they are a desperate as they are now.

I used to do the killer commute and still voted first thing in the morning at my polling place and made up my time at work even though I wasn't required to.Most people in this country would whine even if the ballot box came to them.

But they have been doing early voting for decades, why is it an issue now? And why is it only a problem in states where there is a Republican majority. Why is it only a problem once the voter ID laws started getting thrown out. They can't prove that there is an overwhelming problem of voter fraud, so why in Red states after voter ID laws are being struck down that now early voting is an issue?

Geez, Mark! Poor, poor Mark,

Were you asleep during middle school history class? I guess you--and some of the other posters--were. This is why you don't see a long, historical pattern of preventing people from voting in this country. Hell, forget about the stupid Grandfather clause that restricted black people. Women had to fight for the right to vote in this country!

Nothing has changed. Research the gerrymeandering that has been conducted in the last four years.

http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/grandfather-clause-1898-1915

http://www.fairvote.org/redistricting#.UEeXxZY0mSo

Jparks,

I agree with you. Minorities should know--by now!--how unscrupulous politicians are.

I don't believe that people stay awake at night thinking about how to keep minorities down; they just think about how to secure more power. Power means protection of their businesses, their personal interests, their money! They need politicians in office that will create laws to fulfill their needs. Simple.

So, you are right, the masses need to protect their own interests. If this means standing in lines for hours, then stand in the freakin' lines!! Better yet, vote in the local elections!! Those lines are usually short.

PS. Does PDiddy still perform? He is 42 years old! Talk to some teenagers for info current musical references.

Who has hours to stand in a line to vote? That sounds more like a third world country. When voting is spread out more people can vote, which should be the goal of a democracy. Unless you want to suppress votes the way republicans do.

@doubtingToni - I actually think Karl Rove and his team spent hours at night trying to figure out how to win the election. Surpessing the vote of voters that typically vote for the other party, is an excellent method to ensure that your party wins. Since numbers show that these groups voted in record numbers last election. All of that has to do with securing power.

So the blacks are always the victim. You guys have lived here all your lives with all the government aide available to further your education, buy a business, job training, etc., and get ahead in general but that rarely ever happens. My wife came over in the first freedom flight from Communist Cuba. Her family struggled to make a living for three children finally having to place two children in a Convent to make ends meet. She was set back her first year in school because she could not understand english. But thru hard work she managed to prosper. Working her way thru college and without gov't. loans. Finally culminating in an AA, BS, MS, Phd., and DDS degrees. So what I am saying is stop the whining, get out and get a job or education and help yourself!

So all blacks live on government aid??? That kind of racist talk is exactly why the GOP will suffer for many years to come.

Your wife may have come from Cuba but she benefitted from the discriminatory American law that says anyone from Cuba automatically gets a green card. Anyone from anywhere else is an illegal immigrant.

She benefitted from a government handout. I bet you don't want to give illegals any benefits, right?

For your wife to accomplish that she had to have a big poicket book like Roimneys dad had when he came from Mexico

My wife came over in the first freedom flight from Communist Cuba. Her family struggled to make a living for three children finally having to place two children in a Convent to make ends meet. She was set back her first year in school because she could not understand english. But thru hard work she managed to prosper. Working her way thru college and without gov't. loans. Finally culminating in an AA, BS, MS, Phd., and DDS degrees. So what I am saying is stop the whining, get out and get a job or education and help yourself!

Thats interesting. Somehow, you skipped all the way past on the BLacks who died, were beaten, - so your Alien wife and all the other alien who are reaping the rewards of the protest, myartrdom doled out when they peacefully protested ... not so very long ago ... to get this "Wonderful" government to allow Blacks, Browns, Asians, Hispancis to attend those same schools she was allowed into - without have to have the National Guard standing there - protecting 10, 11, 12 year old children going to school.

I don't see that many pictures of Cubans having dogs set on them to get the right to ride a bus, sit at a lunch counter.

But - thats OK, I get it - she took advantage of the improved climate. But if you think about it- there are/were a few Cubans that came over that are likely still sitting in prison or on well fair. You had a few "Boat People" who were criminals in Cuba, were still criminal when the came here and are still on welfare.

Its all in how you look at it. Oh - Don't think Americans do not know that many Cubans are just as Black as the people you are trying to separate yourself from. As there are Blacks, who would never be thought of as the Proud Blacks they are - at least, not from skin color. Pride is something you have inside yourself - not something you need to compare against other to feel better than... you have long road to go before you become as mature as Americans Black are... you ran away from your home to get a better life. Blacks changed the laws in their home - to make it possible for them to have a better life.

Think about what that means... you jump from place to place to skip the hard work of building a better life, effecting change instead of actually doing something to make it happen. A castro is still in charge in Cuba - what good did you do for the Cubans you left behind?

Tu Madre, she must be so proud of you you got out. Is she still in Cuba, with the others, you left behind... too?

Americans vote the least percentage wise among all western countries. No one cares enough to vote often...

They "used" to be apatheic. The last election, proved that given a even a snowballs chance in hell of voting for someone offering a reasonable alternative to "business as usual" they will take it - and come out in droves to vote.

Remember the alternatives that McCain/Palin were offering? All most every speeh was about "More of the same" - They came with a "If you liked Bush, We will be bringing you More deregulation, More out-sourcing, more financial shenagans...".

McCain got pounded - because he was offering GW part 2 as the bundle of crap the GOP was shilling. We all could see what was going on - We saw the AbuGrabi torture, We saw the Haliburton No Bid contracts, we saw the end of financial regulations, we saw Insurance and Medical Care rising - nearly every month - and the companies that were still trying to cover their employee's were forced to stand up n front of those loyal employees and tell them that rates were going up again - and the small business man was being put in the middle.

I knew Dr. who incorporated and added their family as Officers of the Company ... so they could limit Medical coverage to Officers only. It was the ony way they could pay for coverage, but that left the nurses, dental assistants with out much left. Its really sad when you work in the medical field and can't get coverage for yourself or your family - yet every day you are working to keep other people healthy.

Some of you folks have very short memory's and no sense of the future. The Republican are trying to sell you on what'll happen to your children, grand children and Great grand children ... but they aren't giving you any plan about how you will not be destitute between today and that great and shining tomorrow they are promissing.

Heres what they are telling you ... You starve today and we will be better off in 30 years. Give the "Rate of the Rape" of the general public today, will there be anything left of our 401K, Pensions, Medicare, Social Secureity? Social security is money that was taken out of your pay - it doesn't come out of any federal, state fundings or entitilments. The scary thing is - The War Hawks have been dipping in Social Security "excess" funding to finance everything ---- except ---- Social security!

Ever since Obama endorsed gay marriage, blacks support it by a majority--even the NAACP has endorsed it.

Sorry to burst your bigoted bubble.

No they don't, and 2/3+ voted against it in North Carolina this year.

as detailed below.

It's not even close in the black community, especially amongst likely voters, which is all that matters.

Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus; and we petty men Walk under his huge legs and peep about To find ourselves dishonorable graves

The Churches you are high lighting - are you attending, or merely Parroting what you hear on Faux News? From where I sit - its not Black parishioners I see picketing gays, going all out to harass them at home, "Out" them at work. Traditionally, it has been the predominately Black Churches which accepted anyone who came in the door. You could be a Pimp, hustler, prostitute, Gay, Wife beater ... they will let you in - as long as you tried to mend your ways. About the only people they didn't trust are Child molesters and practicing, predatory gays who tried to recruit young men in their Church.

Hate the Sin, aid the sinner. Grace Cathedral, in San Francisco, one of the largest Churches in the city and among the largest of "real" Churches (The Televangelists - Mega Churches - have the largest counts of attendance few neighborhood churches can match their Numbers). Grace Cathedral is headed by a Non-White Pastor and they seem to not have a big problem with Gay, Straight, lesbian, tranny, etc - they serve the community.

What you seem to be focusing own are small town, store front churches - that is disingenuous. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars.... Seriously - Are you attempting to ascribing the hate to Back churches as if they are the sole and major carriers of the bile being spewed through out the country.

What is it with you folks... African Americans are only 10% - 12% of the populations, yet you are actually trying to put this issue at the door step of predominately African-American churches? Next you'll blame them for Global Warming too. Anything to avoid looking into your own heart?

Get right with the Lord - then get right with yourself. ... Hallelujah!

My hard working mother of 5 kids stood in line to vote after working an 8 hour day at the DMV.She's from the greatest generation that felt it was her duty and right as an American to vote unlike the coddled excuse making lazy younger generation who cries because there's not enough foam on their latte.At 87 she still drives but she absentee votes.

Blacks favor gay marriage by a majority. You're COMPLETELY WRONG.

Considering recent presidential polls have Romney pulling ZERO percent of the black vote, I don't think Obama has to worry so much about the support of that demographic.

Oh yah, they love it, that's why blacks overwhelmingly voted to ban gay marriage in the same state the Dems are holding their convention, earlier this year:

"For example, Hertford County, with a 60 percent black population, voted for Obama with 70 percent in 2008 and on Tuesday 70 percent of its voters backed the constitutional amendment defining marriage.

And Halifax County, with a 53 percent black population, voted for Obama with 64 percent in 2008 and backed the amendment with 68 percent of its votes."

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/05/08/11604355-north-carolina-approves-ban-on-same-sex-marriage-by-wide-margin?lite

Remember blacks, a vote for Obama = a vote against your beliefs on gay marriage

cheesy, I'm back, still spouting nonsense, perfect elephant tool our cheesy.

Obama 2012

Chestypuller,This issue is not about gay marriages that are performed by states and not churches.The bible doesn't say anything about gays being sinful.It calls it an abomination for a man to lie with another man as a woman.This issue is about early voting in Florida because they don't want voting to interfere with their martini hour.It is Florida after all,state of the hanging chad.

uppity:

Consider where the voting polls are located. Schools, libraries, etc. Anyway, public use areas. The people who work the polls have to be at the polls hours before they open. The machines have to be set up and tested, tables set up, paperwork, logs, signs put out, etc. At the end of the day, the votes have to be counted, put in the envelopes, given to the proper police personnel, the machines have to be locked, removed from the polling area and back into storage so the public area will be available for use. A 9a-9p voting schedule means either 6a-11p or 5a-12a workday. If things run smoothly. Which they never do.

But those same issues have exsisted for decades while early voting has been allowed, why is that an issue this election and only in states with a republican majority?

richard, and the uber-rich fleece the fleeced.

Obama 2012

Obama's Movie 2016 was brought out to give our resident a black eye and its completely financed by the conservative party to try to influence the election thats why it s opening day was just shortly before the election any thing to make Obama a one termer the richis pouring money in to buy another election as they did to buy the 2000 election where Bush was appointed and not elected. TO HELL WITH AMERICA OBAMA HAS TO GO !

I can't believe you think they're racist.Of course,they would vote for a ventriloquist doll if it was black

It seems to be going so well throwing out the culture of the greatest country ever doesn't it?

I guess they should support the Christian party that wants to let the sick die and the poor go cold and hungry. Because that what Jesus would do.

The same party that allowed only 5% of the military vote to be counted is the party that is using churches to get voters in the polls. Their right to vote isn't taken away, only the Sunday before election day.