Bernie Sanders’s Other Name: Abraham Lincoln II
April 15, 2019. Bethleham, Pennsylvania. While Abraham Lincoln is credited with freeing the slaves of the 19th Century, Bernie Sanders is calling for America's 21st Century slaves (felon prisoners) to be allowed to vote. Today, innocent prisoners are dying from mistreatment in America's prisons, forced to do hard labor for slave wages or no wages, without any right to determine their own future. Is Bernie's call courageous? One of the biggest backers of the Democratic Party has been the prison industry.
In his April 15, 2019 Fox Town Hall, Bernie Sanders made it clear that the right to vote should apply to felons currently in prison. Though in Vermont and Maine, felons never lose their right to vote, in 48 other states, their right to vote is taken away. Voting rights activists across America applauded Bernie's courage standing up to the disenfranchisement of millions in the country that has the largest percentage of it's population incarcerated of any country in the history of the planet.
When the 13th Amendment was adopted in 1865, many falsely believed it ended slavery in America. IT DID NOT. What it did was to modify slavery.
In his April 15, 2019 Fox Town Hall, Bernie Sanders made it clear that the right to vote should apply to felons currently in prison. Though in Vermont and Maine, felons never lose their right to vote, in 48 other states, their right to vote is taken away. Voting rights activists across America applauded Bernie's courage standing up to the disenfranchisement of millions in the country that has the largest percentage of it's population incarcerated of any country in the history of the planet.
When the 13th Amendment was adopted in 1865, many falsely believed it ended slavery in America. IT DID NOT. What it did was to modify slavery.
13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Notice the exception to the 13th Amendment for punishment for a crime. Not only are people of color being forced to work as slaves for next to nothing, but they are deprived of the very right to have a say in the government that has sentenced them to incarceration and the 21st Century form of slavery. As a result, abuses in the prisons are rampant with prisoners having no effective recourse.
As California Governor Gavin Newsom pointed out, when he recently called for a moratorium on the death penalty in California, 66% percent of those on death row are people of color. With 164 wrongly convicted people having been exonerated from death row (as pointed out by Newsom) and with others proclaiming their innocence while going to their death, wrongfully convicted people are deprived of their right to vote decades before they are wrongfully executed in this mass incarceration country.
As California Governor Gavin Newsom pointed out, when he recently called for a moratorium on the death penalty in California, 66% percent of those on death row are people of color. With 164 wrongly convicted people having been exonerated from death row (as pointed out by Newsom) and with others proclaiming their innocence while going to their death, wrongfully convicted people are deprived of their right to vote decades before they are wrongfully executed in this mass incarceration country.
Traditionally, arresting Blacks and running them through trials with inadequate counsel has been often aimed at depriving them right to vote. Police have often arrested Blacks who were en route to vote. In 2006, one of the ways the authorities attempted to rig the 4th District Georgia election against six term Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was to harass and arrest people wearing clothing indicating they were supporting her. Bernie undoubtedly remembers this atrocity. Overall, there has been a serious problem with racism within the police forces and in jury pools. The over-zealous slaughter of Blacks by racist policemen resulted in the formation of Black Lives Matter, a movement that has served to wake up Americans about the racism in law enforcement in America. (Note. While there are a lot of non-racist officers, this does not change the fact that unarmed Blacks are regularly executed on the streets of America simply because they are Black.)
The discrimination within the criminal justice system especially affects low income people of color who cannot afford quality representation in criminal cases. Statistically, the removal of voting rights following felony convictions disenfranchises one in every three Black males. Additional people of color are disproportionately disenfranchised under Crosscheck, through which people with similar names, living in different states, are prevented from voting. If your name is James Brown and another James Brown is voting elsewhere, Crosscheck will accuse you of trying to vote twice. This disenfranchisement scheme was uncovered by investigative journalist Greg Palast.
Due to the disproportionate arrests and convictions of African-Americans resulting from police or prosecutorial misconduct, the 15th Amendment has also been undercut. Bernie’s change would end the discriminatorily racist use of false arrests and bad convictions to disenfranchise victims of racial profiling by police.
The discrimination within the criminal justice system especially affects low income people of color who cannot afford quality representation in criminal cases. Statistically, the removal of voting rights following felony convictions disenfranchises one in every three Black males. Additional people of color are disproportionately disenfranchised under Crosscheck, through which people with similar names, living in different states, are prevented from voting. If your name is James Brown and another James Brown is voting elsewhere, Crosscheck will accuse you of trying to vote twice. This disenfranchisement scheme was uncovered by investigative journalist Greg Palast.
Due to the disproportionate arrests and convictions of African-Americans resulting from police or prosecutorial misconduct, the 15th Amendment has also been undercut. Bernie’s change would end the discriminatorily racist use of false arrests and bad convictions to disenfranchise victims of racial profiling by police.
15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Several California legislators, such as State Senators Robert Hertzberg and Anthony Weiner have expressed their support for expanding the right to vote to felon prisoners. Hertzberg said the legislature is working on this. The California Democratic Party” Progressive Caucus founder Ruth Hull has worked with the Voters’ Services committee of the party to gain support for expanding the franchise to felon prisoners. The top candidates for Chairman of the California Democratic Party, Daraka Larimore-Hall and Kimberley Ellis, have both stated they would support such a change in the voting laws.
Bernie’s stand against discrimination in voting was courageous, given the extent of money the prison industrial complex puts into politics. Many candidates fear taking a stand on anything controversial during a Presidential race. To the anger of many of his supporters, Bernie Sanders has remained silent on the arrest of Julian Assange. The indictment accuses publisher Assange of conspiracy to protect his source. There is no allegation, whatsoever, in the indictment accusing Assange of hacking. Chelsea Manning had access to the computer files he leaked and the indictment accuses Assange of conspiracy to help Manning conceal his identity. Glenn Greenwald has said this is what any good reporter would do. So far, the only 2020 Presidential candidates to stand up for the First Amendment and Julian Assange are Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel.
However, despite the silence on Assange, Bernie gained a great deal of ground with nay-sayers when he spoke out in support of expanding the right to vote.
Below is a link to Niko House's take on Bernie's Town Hall from Niko's Mi Casa Es Su Casa Network. Observers will notice that, in spite of Fox’s audience being mostly conservative Republicans, Bernie won it over. Most people familiar with the Sanders campaign are expecting Bernie Sanders to choose Tulsi Gabbard to be his Vice Presidential running mate if he is nominated. Tulsi is strong in the area of foreign policy where Bernie is perceived to be weak and the two are expected to be a winning combination. Tulsi’s paper ballot legislation will work to ensure the legitimacy of the election process. With paper ballots and an end to the racist discrimination against felon prisoners, American could again be a country where the people get to choose their leaders.
Bernie’s stand against discrimination in voting was courageous, given the extent of money the prison industrial complex puts into politics. Many candidates fear taking a stand on anything controversial during a Presidential race. To the anger of many of his supporters, Bernie Sanders has remained silent on the arrest of Julian Assange. The indictment accuses publisher Assange of conspiracy to protect his source. There is no allegation, whatsoever, in the indictment accusing Assange of hacking. Chelsea Manning had access to the computer files he leaked and the indictment accuses Assange of conspiracy to help Manning conceal his identity. Glenn Greenwald has said this is what any good reporter would do. So far, the only 2020 Presidential candidates to stand up for the First Amendment and Julian Assange are Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel.
However, despite the silence on Assange, Bernie gained a great deal of ground with nay-sayers when he spoke out in support of expanding the right to vote.
Below is a link to Niko House's take on Bernie's Town Hall from Niko's Mi Casa Es Su Casa Network. Observers will notice that, in spite of Fox’s audience being mostly conservative Republicans, Bernie won it over. Most people familiar with the Sanders campaign are expecting Bernie Sanders to choose Tulsi Gabbard to be his Vice Presidential running mate if he is nominated. Tulsi is strong in the area of foreign policy where Bernie is perceived to be weak and the two are expected to be a winning combination. Tulsi’s paper ballot legislation will work to ensure the legitimacy of the election process. With paper ballots and an end to the racist discrimination against felon prisoners, American could again be a country where the people get to choose their leaders.