Constitutional crisis?

Ok, so we have huge voter purges happening in Indiana.  Georgia is blocking the registrations of 53k voters (70% of whom are black).  The people of those states can and surely will challenge those things in the courts, but now the court is a red-leaning court.  SCOTUS just ruled that voter ID will stand in a couple states including North Dakota and preclude several thousand native Americans from voting, where Heitkamp is trying to keep her seat.  We'll see how that all goes, but I'm seeing a GOP in power doing everything they can to ensure that less people can vote Dem and doing something different in every god damn state so that it's confusing as shit.  We live in a country where a minority elected president is nominating people to SCOTUS.  They are being voted on by 51 senators that represent about 40% of the people of the country, while the 49 voting no represent 60% of the country.  It's been said that the Dems will need to receive about 7% more of the House votes than the GOP in the midterms or else they will not gain control of the House.  Geezus.  To top it all off the electoral college was created partially as a result of the 3/5ths compromise to appease slaveholders, and yet we have millions still defending it.  

I'll never understand the notion that we ought to assign more value to the votes of people in the country than to people in the city.  We are a nation of unequal representation and minority rule.  the minority have seized power by strategically taking control of the states via their use of money and financial power.  We have senators in a state of 20 million with no greater voting power than a senator in a state of 300,000 people.  It's all becoming pretty unbelievable to me.  I no longer consider myself a patriot.  I consider this country to pretty stupid and fucked up.  Folks tout the constitution like it's the fucking Bible, but the constitution was written by people that thought blacks were just fine being slaves and 3/5 of a person.  Please don't tell me I need to up and leave if I don't like it here.  I have a nice quality of life.  I'll be fine.  We have nice things and income and benefits, but this country has become unfair to the point where I pretty much almost fucking hate it and am ashamed of it.  I watch Trump's Klan rallies and see these fucking knuckledraggers not give a shit that he's a sex assaulter, tax evader, child/parent separator, thief, liar, etc.  I know I'm not supposed to just generalize about Trump supporters, but what am I supposed to think about people that are ok with all of that and still admire the guy?  Am I supposed to respect those people?  I have friends that are Trump "supporters."  I'm not talking about how they support the conservative policies he puts into place.  They actually support him and cheer for him and defend his horrible actions.   I have gotten to where I can't even socialize with these people anymore.  If that makes me shallow or closed minded, I guess I have to accept that.  

I'm no longer proud to be an American.  I'm pretty much ashamed.  I had a dad that was a veteran.  Uncles.  Other relatives.  Many of the members of this board have veteran relatives.  I just don't give a shit anymore.  How long until Trump fires the guy that's investigating him?  How long until he pardons all of them?  SCOTUS is about to hear a case that would mean his pardons can't be tried in a state court.  Of course.    When Trump pardons himself will the SCOTUS say he can't do that?  

Sorry guys.  I'm just really annoyed tonight.  I can't believe what I'm seeing.  And while I'm typing this, Trump is lying through his teeth at a Klan rally and telling his sheep that the Dems are trying to end Medicare.  WTF?  They are also arguing to SCOTUS that protections for people with preexisting conditions are unconstitutional.  It just seems like it can't get worse and then it does.  Might have to keep my hat on and remain seated during the anthem for a couple of years.  My dad, a vet, would demand that I not stand for this bullshit.

Does anyone find it odd that the Republican guy running for governor of Georgia is also the guy in charge of holding up the registrations of 53k voters because he's currently the Secretary of State?  We live in a nation where a guy can hold up the registrations of several folks that are likely to vote against him on some kind of voter fraud premise.  At the very least, shouldn't he be recusing himself from handling this issue?  We're just not really a democracy anymore.  There is no accountability for this kind of shit anymore because the checks and balances nature of our country is not functioning.  Who is checking and balancing this situation?

alohafri wrote:The North Dakota decision was 6-2. So, what, two of the left-leaning judges had to agree with the decision.

Good point.  Hadn't heard that and thanks for pointing it out.  Those hurt by this are natives that use a PO Box for their address and registration all of these years and who live on reservations up there.  Sounds like many thousand will be boxed out of voting.

alohafri wrote:

SoxIlliniRob wrote:

alohafri wrote:The North Dakota decision was 6-2. So, what, two of the left-leaning judges had to agree with the decision.

Good point.  Hadn't heard that and thanks for pointing it out.  Those hurt by this are natives that use a PO Box for their address and registration all of these years and who live on reservations up there.  Sounds like many thousand will be boxed out of voting.

I read that there are many ways that those who live on the reservations can prove residency for voting, perhaps even more ways than we can for voting purposes, which is why the left-leaning judges ruled in the way they did. I wish I could recall the article. It was somewhere in Yahoo.

it's just a neverending plethora of making it difficult for people.  Every fucking state has a different law.  Every state can handle registrations and voter purges differently.  It's just such a crock of undemocratic bullshit.  In one state you need a driver license, but they are closing all of the DMV's.  In another state, you don't need a license as long as you have a FOID card, but you can't vote with a student ID.  Hmmm, that seems fair.  FOID card carriers mostly vote one way, and students mostly vote another way, so you can guess whether it's a red state or a blue state that has a rule like this.  

How on earth we don't have a uniform national policy guideline for voting, registering, vote counting, etc is pure criminal.  It's different in every state so that it can be corrupted.  Sorry, but I've had just about enough of this bullshit.  This nation is fucked up beyond belief.  I can't believe my dad risked his life in the military for this God damn shit.

Jesus Rob, and I thought I was Dr. Doom and Gloom. Yes it's bad right now but I think also that a little bit of perspective needs to put into place. We didn't live in times when it was ok to own another human being and bull whip them and rape the women and then go to church on Sunday and sing and pray the loudest while being totally respected and admired in the community. Nor did we live through a civil war where hundreds of thousands where killed or horribly maimed and often brother was pitted against brother. Let's also not forget how our great nation was established....while wading in the blood of the red man. Lied to by politicians? Ever hear of Viet Nam? The Iraq War? Did we live through McCarthyism? And the United States doesn't have the corner on crazy. Ever hear of Hitler? Stalin? Pol Pot? Idi Amin? I could go on but you get my point. 

The problem isn't just an American problem...it's a HUMAN problem. Worldwide. We're a fucked up species...always have been...always will be. But somehow we've managed to persevere and survive as a race. God knows how.

Trump is a motherfucker...yes. And I don't know what's coming down the pike. It can always get worse. But I suspect somehow we'll manage to survive. It's what we do.

Agree with both of you two (Cream and Tim).  The social, democratic arc is still bending toward justice.  I think I am just bent out of shape out of seeing it recede in such a grandiose fashion.  The arc always recedes a bit here and there.  We fall back off of wagon and we make occasional anti-democratic decisions as a people, but we usually get back on the tracks and straighten it out.  What I'm seeing right now is a bit different.  There is a successful effort to rig the political game and it's not only working, but appears to be in place to continue working for at least the rest of my natural lifetime and half of my kids' lives.  That is disconcerting to me.  That's where this griping is coming from.