Professor Eddie Glaude could have said that America is an idea, and he would have been spot on. Jeff Davis, so sad, said that the Confederacy was an idea. An idea that failures fought for and lost. Democracy in America is a winning idea that is evolving.
In a conversation with State Rep. Alma Allen on Saturday, she said, “Let me be clear. The stakes are high. The Republican opposition is set on putting into place and set of laws that will turn back the civil rights clock.” She echoed the sentiment from a friend that said that the backward forces are feeling their Cheerios and they are seizing the opportunity to steamroll pre 1960 Jim Crow laws through the legislature.
According to Rep. Allen, when the Dems return to Austin on July 8, they will be faced with a bill that contains the following suggested actions.
- Eliminate the Souls to the Polls employed by Black churches on Sunday. Churches that have early morning services such as 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services could not access the voting booth until 1 p.m. All day Sunday voting would be cancelled.
- Ballots would be prohibited to disabled citizens without a formal request from that citizen.
- Handicapped citizens would have to sign an affidavit explaining their handicap.
- Ballots deemed to be “harvested” from nursing homes would be subject to criminal prosecution and conviction of the organizer-collector of ballots.
- Driving three of more citizens to the polls would require an affidavit of the reason for providing transportation for the citizens.
According to Rep. Allen, the intent of these restrictive laws appears to be to lure people into situations to get them arrested.
Rep. Allen and the other members of the resistance will have to put on the shield and buckler to fend off this terrible legislation that is no longer “in situ.” She thinks that we need to take a deep breath and embark on a campaign to educate every citizen on this backwards legislation.
Rep. Allen said that she realized that our struggle is long and protracted. This is bad but it is not doomsday. It shakes up our complacency and sets a blaze under our lethargic bottoms and encourages us to activate and mobilize grandparents, momma, daddy and sister and brother to challenge these restrictions by getting educated and voting.
Unfortunately, the Democratic legislators do not have a unified command. It is still necessary that we support those that have walked out and refuse to return under the current conditions. Let us keep in mind that the staffs of these legislators need to get paid to ensure that they can take care of their families.
Back to Professor Glaude, the verdict is not in on this vibrant but struggling democracy. This democracy only works when we work together. Ignorant, apathetic and complacent citizens will enable demagogues in subverting the democracy. Ex- US Attorney General Bill Barr states that demagogues will be able to push unfounded claims such as “Stop the Steal,” and he did call the claims of POTUS 45 as BS. This democracy in Texas requires that we get engaged and stay engaged in election season and out of election season. Voting is an important and critical part of the process.
Tell your homie that you kick it with that if they are not engaged, an active voter that you might have to kick them to the curb, temporarily declare the persona non grata. Maybe we need to ask our prayer partners if they think that voting has any relation to the establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth.
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