If our present situation were the least bit comical, we could exclaim with Oliver Hardy that it’s “another fine mess.” But we are beyond messes; we are in crisis. The murder of George Floyd has brought forward—once again—to the public’s attention the shameful and despicable treatment of Black Americans (and other minorities).
The murder has rallied ordinary people to march for equality and justice, and led more storied names (politicians, corporate leaders, celebrated sports and entertainment figures) to issue statements attacking the systemic racism and inequality of the United States. Corporations, sports leagues and teams, newspapers and other media have joined in the chorus. The sincerity factor of these statements ranges from whole-hearted to public relations boilerplate.
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When the crowds go home, politicians will resume their defensive crouch. They will call for reform—never again!—and form commissions. Some of these commissions may even be “blue ribbon.” These commissions will issue reports and the politicians will claim to have done something. But another commission won’t tell us anything we don’t already know.
Adam Harris, The Atlantic*
Better housing, fairer lending practices, more employment opportunities, greater education resources—these are a few of the issues that have been advocated by protesting groups. I would wish that politicians would speedily enact measures to bring about the desired outcomes. However, to test the sincerity of politicians I will focus on only two issues.
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“No taxation without representation!”
That rallying cry by the colonists gets right to the basic principle of democracy. The right to be represented in the decision making of one’s country. And to be represented one must have access to the ballot box.
For years now, however, the Republican Party has systematically worked to deprive citizens of this country of the opportunity to vote for those who will govern. The GOP has attempted to use citizenship tests, culling of the voter rolls, ID demands, intimidating poll watchers, gerrymandering, reduced early voting—among other ploys—to keep voters, especially Black Americans and other minorities for exercising their right of the suffrage. (Here are some Google entries about this.**)
So, I call upon Republican politicos,*** if, having witnessed the events of the previous week or so, they are serious about making the country a better, fairer, more just nation, to cease their efforts to deprive their fellow Americans of their most basic right—the right to decide on their representation, and to support legislation to ensure unfettered access to the ballot box.
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“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
Juvenal
Juvenal’s words point to a basic problem for all societies. You have your guardians, who are deputed to keep the society safe. But who will watch over those same guardians to make sure that they do not do things to undermine the society?
We trust our police forces to make sure that their watchfulness keeps us safe. But as we have seen, that trust is misplaced, because our custodes are serial breakers of the laws that they are sworn to uphold. And Black Americans and other minorities have been the major victims of the corrupted custodes.
So, my second demand is that all the sweet-talking politicians of both parties support (at all governmental levels in our federal system) laws that will bring into effect civilian review boards—with real teeth—custodire ipsos custodes.
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“[F]rothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.”
Willard Duncan Vandiver
It is time that we too neither be convinced nor satisfied by frothy statements of solidarity and support at this time of crisis. It is time for those pronouncers of glorious words show us.
It’s tuchus affen tisch time everybody!
***
May 18, 2020 - Voter suppression is at the very heart of Republican electoral ... “Voters deemed suspicious” by the GOP is a category that includes black ...
Dec 21, 2019 - 'Traditionally, it's always been Republicans suppressing votes'; Adviser ... to false accusations that the GOP engages in voter suppression.
The court held that the GOP used the data they gathered to remove the first week of early voting because more African American voters voted during that week, ...
Apr 8, 2020 - Far too many Republicans seem to have decided that the deadly coronavirus for which there is no vaccine can be used to suppress voter ...
Oct 23, 2018 - You're seeing a national effort by the Republican Party to try to restrict voting rights, and it's playing out in states all across the country. Ari Berman ...
Dec 21, 2019 - In leaked audio, a top Trump adviser said the Republican party has 'traditionally' relied on voter suppression. Kat Tenbarge. 2019-12-21T17:42: ...
Apr 5, 2020 - Perhaps 10 years of relentless voter suppression have now left the Republican Party ill-equipped to reckon with the pandemic's looming threat ...
*** Excluding, of course, the conspiracy theorists and pile-the-army-on-the-streets theorists like Tom Cotton).
