We are all Black and Living in Jim Crow: Why We Need to March

I am proud of all the good work that everyone is doing, especially the lawyers filing suits to block E-voting from as many precints as possible and all the scientists working to uncover the flaws in E-voting technology and all the journalists publicizing their findings on the internet (since the MSM wont cover it). Every bit helps. However, the fact is that the US Department of Justice is now ruled by a man, Al Gonzales, who thinks that the Voting Rights Act is toilet paper. The Republicans in Congress know that their only hope to retain control is to suppress the votes of the majority of American voters who happen to want to kick then out, so they think that Gonzales is some kind of hero. Too many states have given control of their elections to representatives of the RNC, who openly violate the Voting Rights Act, disenfranching voters by keeping them from casting votes or having their votes counted strictly on the basis of which party that voter is most likely to vote for. Since Gonzales has shown that he will rubber stamp any initiative, like Georgia's infamous Voter ID/Poll Tax, even over the objection of career DOJ officials, state legislators have rushed to pass draconian legislation that will ensure that Democratic voters encounter obstacles on their way to the polls. Are there enough lawyers in the country to get injunctions against all those laws before this falls election? What about the various partisan Secretaries of State and their pesky last minute rulings?

The point I am trying to make is that it is not going to be enough to fight this battle in the court room. They have the courts covered. Some of the appeals courts are stacked with good old boys who will just say yes to disenfranchisement. The DOJ will do nothing to help stop Voting Rights Act violations. Indeed, as November nears, it is likely that Gonzales will start prosecuting those who are attempting to ensure equal rights on the grounds that they are committing vote fraud, tying up precious resources.

Right now, every American citizen is without equal protection under the law. We are all Black and living under Jim Crow, subject to the whim of the administration. The only thing that keeps the executive branch in check is fear of the power of the media, which is currently quite unhappy with the Bush Administration. Bush and Co. can only go so far, before the media raises an eyebrow, which starts a chain reaction.

When a group has no legal representation, the group has to find a way to raise its own voice in the court of public opinion.
It is time to march. We marched for peace. We marched for immigrants. We can march for the vote. One hundred years ago, women did it all the time. Fifty years ago, MLK Jr did it, and the result was the Voting Rights Act. Two hundred years ago, the Founders dressed up like Natives and poured tea into Boston Harbor because they had no legal say.

All great victories in voting rights have come about through protest. So, where are the big rallies being held this summer and fall?