Whose Equal Protection

>>>>> "lindenfeld," == Lindenfeld, Jim <[email protected]> writes:

   > Interesting that your article would criticize Ms. Harris for
   > eliminating 8,000 felons (calling them Florida voters may be a
   > bit much when less than 1/2 of the registered voters vote) from
   > the registration lists.  

They *weren't* felons, and that's the whole point.

   >Was your magazine among the many who
   > carefully scrutinized the Florida voter rolls from the 1996
   > election and directed scathing criticism at the Secretary of
   > State for allowing felons to remain on the voter rolls (along
   > with the deceased)?  

No, for a few reasons:

1. We weren't a magazine in '96
2. I don't think felons should be disenfranchised; they aren't in
other industralized western nations; why here?

I support publicly passage of the Civic Participation and
Rehabilitation Act of 1999. You should too. Read it here: 

	       http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:H.R.906:

   > Did you miss the article where it was
   > estimated that despite the efforts, 6,500 felons cast votes in
   > Florida for Al Gore anyway?  You state that the entire list was
   > bogus, I assume you researched all 8,000 names and cleared each
   > one?

No, of course I didn't. Since I think disallowing felons from voting
is immoral, I'm clearly not going to be upset that some of them found
a way to vote. Good for them.

By the way, did you verify that all 6,500 voted for Gore? Why not?

   > It is absolutely amazing isn't it that you could find the time
   > and words to tell a small fraction of the story to make it appear
   > that some vast conspiracy was afoot.  

Why is it amazing that I could find the time to do my job as a writer?

Why do you give a shit about how I spend my time?

Why do you say such rude things to total strangers?

Finally, who said anything about a conspiracy? I said plainly who I
know to be at fault. 

   > What you fail to realize is
   > that conservatives have fought world wide for years for the
   > principle of one man and one vote and that socialist have fought
   > for the collective, not the individual.  

Nope, you cannot "fail to realize" utter nonsense. What does this have
to do with my article, even if it were true?

   > There are individuals
   > who, when given the opportunity to vote, spoiled the ballot.  It
   > happens in every election.  It happens to individuals of all
   > races, creeds, and age.  

So what? Clearly if you cannot discern an intent, you cannot just make
stuff up. I didn't say that, of course, but you don't seem to care.

   > The danger in collective thinking that
   > somehow not counting these spoiled ballots is motivate by
   > "disenfranchisement" of African Americans and Women is to once
   > again place the blame for individual failure on the system rather
   > than emphasizing the the 'fundamental right to vote' is
   > accompanied by just as strong a fundamental responsibility to
   > vote correctly.

Oh, it is? Well, the law in Florida and in many other jurisdictions
disagrees with you. But I guess Florida is just a socialist,
collective thinking kind of place, huh? Maybe it's all that terrible
Mickey Mouse, Disneyworld shit.

There are, of course, many reasons why a ballot might be faulty other
than "individual failure". Like piss-poor ballot design, aged
machines, underfunded, poor precincts without proper infrastructure,
etc. There I go again with that awful collective thinking.

   > Eventually, you will have the socialist society you crave, even
   > the founding fathers of this nation realized that democracy can
   > not long stand against the greed of the masses.  

I sure hope I'll eventually have the libertarian socialist society I
crave, though, if so, it'll have nothing to do with the founding
patriarchs.

   > You scream for
   > individual right to vote for a bigger more powerful government
   > that will soon have the ability to take away even your freedom to
   > scream, lest you turn your voice against them.  A people get the
   > government they deserve, be careful what you wish for.

I scream for individual right *and* I'm a collectivist thinker? You've
got your wires crossed, buddy.

By the way, if you're going to mangle ideas, have the decency to do it
less callowly:
	
	Let every one make known what kind of government would
	command respect, and that will be one step toward
	obtaining it. --Thoreau

The original is so vastly superior, doncha think?

If you'll send me some more of you neato Hayekian slanders, I'll even
tell you where the Thoreau quote comes from.

Best,
Kendall Clark