In My Humble Opinion – Voting regulations, necessary identification
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In My Humble Opinion
Jodi McDade
Voting regulations, necessary identification
Sorry I missed last week, but I was in the middle of the last week of moving back to Equality from the northwest corner of Coosa County on Peckerwood Creek. The move comes with mixed emotions – excitement to be back in the area we lived for 23 years and closer to my friends, family, and Rockford Baptist Church; happiness that Larry was able to spend four years on the water again that was always his dream; sadness that I am coming back here without Larry. But, this was the house with the most memories of a wonderful marriage and the retirement years that started.
My stepsons helped remodel the house for me so it’s like coming into a new home – fresh paint, new floors, etc. There will still be things to update and outside things to improve but, for the most part, I won’t have to worry about anything major for quite a while. It’s been a long several months while this work was going on, but I am now about 95% back under one roof for the first time in almost four years. Now, the unpacking and reorganizing begins!
It was and is still horrible watching the aftermath of the condo collapse in Florida. So many lives lost in a matter of minutes. We just never know when our last breath has been taken. Crime in the big cities just keeps getting worse, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Now people are shoplifting with no worry about being arrested or stopped. Law enforcement officers are still being ambushed and killed. And the first of two private venture spacecraft has gone into and returned from space. Government – get out of the way.
The excitement (and worry) for me this week is the uprising in Cuba. I have quite a few friends who are first generation Americans with family still in their home country. Finally the people are standing up to the oppression they have been under for years – and at the risk of their lives. So far our government has not spoken a word of encouragement or even acknowledged these people are trying to overthrow a communist/socialist government to win their freedom. We have quite a few Cuban-Americans in the House/Senate in Washington and many more in state/local governments around the country so I hope they will band together in support of the Cuban people. Viva Cuba libre! (And I thought it was just a rum and coke!)
I am so sick and tired of minorities being labeled as uneducated, stupid, illiterate, lazy, and victims of suppression. That’s all I hear in the discussion of the new voting regulations being voted in around the country. We are told they are unable to get identification to prove who they are. I would venture to say there are only a few reasons anyone in this country would be prevented from registering to vote or from voting itself. One reason – not a legal American citizen (but that isn’t even a reason in some areas). Another reason – a convicted felon who has lost their privilege to vote. Or, possibly not old enough to register.
If you actually know someone personally who does not have some form of identification, I would love to hear from you. Personally, I have to show ID to cash a check, purchase alcohol or cigarettes, register for school, go to the doctor or emergency room, purchase a vehicle, purchase a home, fill out a loan application, get a driver’s license, get a gun permit, get a job, file my taxes, etc. My understanding is people who receive disability, EBT cards, or other government assistance also have to show a valid ID in order to qualify. So, if you have identification for any of these activities, you have an identification to register to vote and to actually vote.
Here in Alabama, our Secretary of State Office comes into every one of the 67 counties at least once a year to provide – FREE OF CHARGE – an identification card that can be used by anyone for any purpose. If someone is unable to get to the courthouse or wherever they set up, they will even GO TO THE PERSON’S HOME! What more can anyone ask for? If you have never had an ID of any kind before, certainly in this day and age you can produce a birth certificate – available for a small fee from the Health Department.
The Voting Rights Movement was fought to insure that no American would be prohibited from voting because of the color of their skin. That war was won so everyone needs to move on to some other real problem – like the communist/socialist takeover of our country where NONE of us will be allowed to vote!
On a happier note, we had an amazing turnout on July 2 for the first First Friday on Flagg in well over a year. The weather did not stop about 60 people from coming to the mountain for fun, food, fellowship, fireworks, and some of the best music around! It was wonderful to see people we hadn’t seen in so long and to see new people join in. Mark your calendars for the first Friday of every month and come on up to the cabin area at Flagg Mountain. The work is continuing on the renovation of the tower, construction of a parking area and an ADA approved trail from the parking lot to the tower.
Please continue to pray for our country. And, pray for the people of Cuba and other countries living under the dominance of oppression. God bless you all!