councilor.org
| Source | Dave Anderson |
| Date | 00/12/13/13:29 |
| SUPREME COURT ELECTS THE PRESIDENT!
Orchestrates "Velvet Legal Coup" Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. today said, "As a U.S. congressman I swore to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States. Today I reaffirm that oath. I also reaffirm that we are a nation of laws and not of men, thus, I accept and will abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court. "However, even as I accept and will abide by the decision, I also -- with every bone in my body and every ounce of moral strength in my soul -- strongly and vigorously disagree with it. In third world countries when democratically cast votes are not counted, or the person who most likely lost wins in a highly questionable manner, we usually refer to that as a coup d'etat -- the overthrow of a government, usually by a small group of persons. All legal votes in Florida were not counted. If they had been counted, there is at least a strong possibility that Vice President Gore would have received the most votes in Florida as he did in the country -- which is why the Bush people did not want the votes counted. Even more important than partisan politics, the votes should have been counted in the name of democracy in order to give the maximum amount of credibility and legitimacy to the eventual winner. What we have just witnessed is a Supreme Court that was used as a willing tool of the Bush campaign. "After the Soviet Union collapsed, many of its satellites fell. In the case of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel became the new President on the basis of a legitimate people uprising and a democratic "Velvet Revolution." In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court orchestrated a questionable 'velvet legal coup.' "The basis of politics and legal authority in the United States is the Constitution. The first words in the Preamble are 'We the people.' We the PEOPLE are the ultimate source of power and legal authority for our government. The people express their will through the vote. And the will and intention of the voter, as best it can be discerned by machines, bipartisan hand counters and accompanying public witnesses must be the legal standard. "While I urge calm and a political response in 2002 and 2004, I see this decision as a potential threat to our democracy and potentially de-stabilizing to our democratic institutions. I see it as undermining the legitimacy of a President Bush should he be elected without all of the votes being counted. All Americans can live with votes counted for Gov. George W. Bush. But democracy cannot live if the votes of the American people are not counted. An uncounted vote says to the American people that THEY don't count. "I do not believe that over 100 million Americans went to the polls and cast their ballots with the expectation that they would not be counted. I also do not believe they voted with the expectation that their next president would be selected by five conservative, strict constructionist, narrowly ideological, Republican-appointed justices who used the means of legal nitpicking and highly questionable legal technicalities as a substitute for the peoples' democratic will as expressed through their vote. "Justice Scalia, in the previous decision, went so far as to say that there is no legal right of suffrage in the Constitution. Thus, the American people, through their federal and state elected officials, may need to amend the constitution making the right to vote -- which all Americans thought was implicit in our Constitution and laws -- explicit in the Constitution. This decision, with the kind of thinking reflected by Justice Scalia, is a threat to our democracy. It is hard to imagine that Bush v. Gore will be viewed as a high water mark in the history of the Supreme Court when viewed through the eyes of history. It will more likely be compared to other infamous decisions such as Dred Scott and Plessy v. Ferguson. "The road is now even tougher for Vice President Gore, but it is still up to him as to whether he pursues any further legal or political remedies. I still strongly support all legal and political efforts to make sure that all voters who cast votes on November 7 have their votes counted. Legal options seem to have exhausted any hope of getting all the votes counted. However, there may be political means in Congress still open to the Vice President that he may wish to pursue. I will respect whatever course he chooses. "The Vice President won the most national votes. And I believe that if all votes cast in Florida had been counted he would have won the most votes there as well -- and, thus, the 25 electoral votes and the presidency. Legal matters have been pursued through the courts, ultimately with no relief. If everything remains the same, it appears that the Electoral College vote will go to Governor Bush. "However, beyond and even more important than Bush or Gore, is the issue of the integrity of the voting system itself. There appears to be 'voting rights' violations that should be pursued regardless of who wins the election. Congress needs to pass legislation to federalize and nationalize future elections to the extent that there is one, fair, inclusive national standard and mechanism for conducting our federal elections. "It appears, through a combination of inferior voting machines, police roadblocks, questionable voting procedures, roll purges and other such mechanisms, that a significant number of African Americans were denied either their right to vote or to have their vote count. These matters should be fully investigated beyond the election results and corrective procedures should be put in place for the future. African Americans should remain more determined than ever to vote and to have their vote count. If there is a fire and water is poured on it, but it doesn't put out the fire, don't conclude that water doesn't put out fires. Conclude that it will take more water. By the same token African Americans should NOT conclude that voting doesn't count, but that we need even more votes to achieve the desired effect. We must spend the time between now and 2002 registering and politically educating the nearly 8 million yet unregistered black voters. In fact, we must register all Americans to vote regardless of race, creed or color," Jackson concluded. |
Copyright (c) 1998, Joongpil Cho