To protest what Free Press investigative reporters describe as a “holiday burial for American Democracy” in the Buckeye State, Ohio divinity student and Columbus resident, Jonathan Meier is continuing his prayer vigil and hunger strike at the Ohio Statehouse despite heavy snow and brutally cold winter temperatures.
House Bill 3 has already passed the House and is about to be approved by the Republican-dominated Senate in the ground-zero snakepit of GOP political corruption otherwise known as Ohio.
Activist Meier, in a just-issued press release says “that his Christian faith calls him to ‘constantly pursue social justice and illuminate social ills, and, often, this call requires personal sacrifice.”
Free Press’ Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman recently described the latest onslaught to democracy in Ohio, which Meier is protesting, this way:
Says Meier, “Most people don’t realize that this legislation, if passed by the senate next week, would make it virtually impossible for homeless folks to vote, would make it virtually impossible for groups to register large numbers of voters, would eliminate oversight of voting machines, and would cancel our right to challenge election results.”
He added, “Instead of addressing the long lines at the polls, instead of making it easier for people to register and to vote, Republican lawmakers put forward 424 pages of legislation that will set up roadblocks to our democracy. I, for one, do not trust a vote reform bill that is purely a partisan act.”
Fitrakis and Wasserman put the Ohio legislation in context for the rest of the country, where similar bills are being explored by various Republican-controlled legislatures:
But HB3 will solidify the GOP’s iron grip on the electronic voting process and all that surrounds it. Unless they break that grip, Democrats who believe they can carry any part of Ohio in 2006 or 2008 are kidding themselves.
When it comes to 2008, can you say “Jeb Bush”?
That’s right. Who the hell said Ohio’s vote was going to be fair?
You must have riots and criminal convictions…..Period. Go to Judge Carr and start making motions to prosecute Blackwell for every violation including putting CompuWare’s illegal source code into the machines….
Read here for my details on action & litigation for Ohio:
Voting Machines Embargo
The fascist gov will not give up its power willingly, you must force it directly out of their grip. Take down Blackwell and the entire Ohio government the old fashioned way.
Doug E.
I saw the article on Truthout a couple of days ago and had a feeling there’d be similar attacks against voting laws in other states.
At this moment in time… with the apparent inaccuracy issues we’ve seen… removing ANY protection of democracy relating to electronic voting is completely inexcusable… I know that’s stating the obvious… and it leads on to the real question..
Why remove protections, which appear to be necessary… unless there’s a criminal intent/motive?
I remember in November last year… it was Blackwell and the whole Ohio fiasco that made me feel literally sick… it was the first time I’d really seen modern-day America’s democratic and legal systems completely fall apart to blatant corruption… and now.. it’s just getting worse.
I just hope people in Ohio share my disgust at those who have shown so much contempt for democracy and the rule of law. They’ve twisted everything they can to keep in power and they’re just laying the tracks for another vote-rigging scandal… but this time… one that’s illegal to challenge.
Yup… vote-rigging that is illegal to challenge.
Their criminal intentions couldn’t be clearer.
And that’s not even going into the disenfranchisement tactics (voter-IDs, etc.)
This is right up there with the Nazis annexing Poland.
Does everyone GET IT yet?
Hey, mainstream media, WAKE THE FUCK UP AND DO YOUR DAMN JOBS!
History will look back on this as the bill that cinched the doom of America and the planet.
I applaud the divinity student’s principled stance.
Is the mainstream media in Ohio covering this?
Or is starvation ignored along with theft of democracy?
God bless Jonathan Mier for taking a stand on this.
HB1 and HB3 looks like some of the most heinous, Un-Democratic legislation I’ve ever read. I have serious doubts about there ever being a fair election in Ohio again.
I personally can’t believe how low Ohio has gone. I’m disgusted, not only with the repugs in power, but with the apathy of Ohio residents. The cynic in me says that if people aren’t willing to defend their inalienable voting rights then they get what they deserve. That state lost more jobs on the moron’s watch than any other.
I have to wonder about liberal’s problem with positive ID at the voting box. After the 2004 election the exit polls showed a Kerry win, I am sure, because libs were trying to artificially balloon his numbers. Just imagine if that happened in the real election! Especially when the “evil” republicans learned how to do it better later anyway.
Face it, you have not been able to win an election by popular vote in over 25 years. No one likes you guys.
Why is it that Repugs like The Man consistently parrot lies? Can’t they think for themselves?
Why is it the exit polls have only been wrong in the history of this country during a Bush run?
Gore won the popular vote, you idiot…
The scary thing, will this type of legislation pass in other states? Where are the democrats? ?Surely, they see through this?
Something just occurred to me. Wouldn’t it be ironic that the repubs pass legislation that will do themselves in? Wouldn’t it be ironic if the dems were ahead and won in Ohio, and the repubs couldn’t do a thing about it because of the legislation they/themselves passed!!!
Oh my God! Is this the Matrix, or the United States of America?
Come out of the Matrix, Vickie…The water’s fine. Every hand and foot counts…
Doug E.
I just thought it would be fun to argue like a dem for once. It was fun, I can see why people do it.
Your ugly, no one likes you, your stupid, and a Nazi. Furthermore, you smell.
I like it, I might just keep this up, since it is the only thing dems can say in response to any real argument, except for the always stinging "don’t you know that your wrong because I say so, so there, times infinity plus one!! ptpptptptptptpt!" (here’s lookin at you Fancy Pants Elitist).