On Border Enforcement (Passed 277-140)
Emanuel Cleaver Voted NO
On Voter ID (Passed 223-196)
Emanuel Cleaver Voted NO
Emanuel Cleaver (Once Again) Votes NO
September 25, 2006
Insurmountable Burden?
September 15, 2006
Kansas City Star conveys voter ID ruling.
A Cole County judge Thursday tossed out a new law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, saying the measure violated Missourians’ fundamental right to vote.
In his ruling, Circuit Judge Richard Callahan said that unlike photo ID laws in other states, Missouri’s law offers voters few alternatives to getting a state-issued ID, placing most of the burden to comply with the requirement on voters.
“The photo ID burden placed on the voter may seem minor or inconsequential to the mainstream of our society for whom automobiles, driver’s licenses and even passports are a natural part of everyday life,” Callahan wrote. “However, for the elderly, the poor, the undereducated or otherwise disadvantaged, the burden can be great if not insurmountable.”
Voter ID: What Are We Afraid Of?
September 8, 2006
Wednesday, a coalition (including the NAACP) filed a federal lawsuit opposing a voter identification bill. I have never understood the objection to this type of law.
Yes, bigots and racists once sought to prevent minority voting. However, this country has aged forty years. We have advanced past Mississippi Burning, Jim Crow, and George Wallace standing in the schoolhouse door.
We now live in a twenty-four hour cable news world. If any group advocated voter discrimination, they would be lambasted on every newscast from Katie Couric to Catherine Crier.
In America, you must show identification to purchase beer, cigarettes, and cold medication. Why is voting, the most important of these activities, the only one where identification is not required? With most families owning multiple cars, a driver’s license is more likely owned than cable television.
I am not a racist. I assume that the vast majority of our lawmakers are not either. In this age of theft and fraud, we merely wish to match the voter with the voting role. It has nothing to do with discrimination and everything to do with common sense.
Black Archives Need Support in KC
August 19, 2006
My wife, Donna, and I attended the public hearing last night at the Gem Theater on the Black Archives hosted by the Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon. We were heartened to hear so many community leaders pledge their support to revitalize the Archives and disappointed our current representative was unable to attend.
A retired archivist speaking on the subject of the difficulties of preservation and the expertise needed to save memorabilia, documents, photographs, artifacts, etc. sparked a discussion between us on the ride home.
The primary concern for us is that all the materials are preserved while discussion moves forward on a community-based solution for a permanent home for the collection. We suggest the Smithsonian be contacted to use their financial muscle to obtain a grant to bring the materials to their preservation center for their preservationists to stop any further deterioration of the collection and to house the material safely until an adequate permanent home can be created in Kansas City.
Such a permanent home will need to address community concerns about access for both researchers and area youth groups from schools and clubs. It will have to have a plan for events to illustrate the importance of maintaining and supporting the Black Archives with donations and volunteer hours. Whatever board is created will need the respect of both the urban community and the business community to ensure long term success for the very important role the Black Archives should be playing in promoting understanding and awareness ofAfrican-American history in Kansas City and beyond.
There is now an exciting opportunity to provide a solid foundation for the Black Archives. In my campaign, I will raise awareness in the district of the effort and, if I am elected to be your representative, will work with the Smithsonian and other non-profits to enlist their help in bringing this dream to fruition.
