I normally do not write as a newspaper reporter, but when news of atrocity arises in my own backyard, it pierced the pen of this worrier turned warrior to change course one more time. The state of North Carolina has become The most Disenfranchised state in America. It is time for the residents and voters to stand against such atrocities.
Yesterday a lone judge decided he is more powerful than over 2,000,000 voters (55% Yes Votes) that approved a bill to require voters in North Carolina to show an ID to prove who they are when voting. In a shocking move to disintegrate democracy Judge Bryan Collins had the audacity to write: “the amendments placed on the ballot by a legislature did not represent the people of North Carolina.”
For those who do not live in NC let me tell you how I voted this past November. I walked into the voting set up at the fire station during the 3-week’s long period set up for early voting. Since I am a registered voter, my name and address is on the list of voters. My info and any others can be easily discovered with a google search in seconds.
Validation consisted of a question from the nice 70-year-old volunteer who said, ‘Name.’ I told her my name as she adjusted her bifocals to go down the list and find my name. After seeing it, she asked, ‘Address?’ I responded with my address. With that accomplished, I then was handed a piece of paper to sign swearing I am who I am and was then given directions on how to vote.
That’s it. Anyone could stand in for someone dead, incapacitated, out of country, or God-forbid had created a way to be a registered voter and could accomplish the same task and vote.
The NAACP filed the suit in the court presided by Judge Collins using the argument that it will disenfranchise people of color, the elderly, and the poor that ‘may not have Id’s.’ It is an absurd claim considering you cannot buy cigarettes, alcohol, cough syrup, or cold medicine’s without an ID. You cannot fly on a plane without one, you cannot drive a car without one, nor open a simple bank account (which is the only place one can cash a welfare check without paying a big fee!). Just to shake your heads further, assuming welfare and elderly recipients are the points of concern, you cannot apply for food stamps, welfare, social security, Medicare, or Medicaid without an ID as well.
Further adding to the ridiculousness, it is quite easy for any legal citizen to obtain an ID. The new law passed set the criteria out with a number of ways to legally register to vote and then identify yourself as the voter. It includes the following options:
- NC driver’s license #
- NC non-drivers ID card #
- U.S. passport #
- County-issued voter ID card #
- Tribal enrollment card #
- Student ID from UNC school, community college or private university #
- Employee ID card from state or local government entity, including charter school #
- Driver’s license or ID issued by another state if voter registered within 90 days of voting
- U.S. military ID ##
- Veterans Affairs ID card ##
- Elderly over 65 no longer able to drive, can use expired drivers license as ID
The state of North Carolina has seen this battle of stripping the rights of citizens at the beckoning call of thinkers that put the supposed rights of abused peoples against law-abiding citizens and families before. In 2016 the city of Charlotte was brutally attacked by the media for the infamous bathroom bill. A bill that was passed that created outrage for citizens that allowed those who ‘identify’ as a transgender (which makes up .6% of the entire US population) to use whichever bathroom they identify themselves. The law required businesses, schools, daycares, churches, every entity, to open the public bathrooms to accommodate a minute portion of the population. The law disregarded the obvious result of such a rule that would make it possible for any person with ill intentions to invade women and children of both sexes.
* Note, 3 years ago during the Charlotte riots I had written on this topic using the same exact picture. Charlotte is on the map again, not only for this latest political fiasco but the NBA All-star game was held this week, post CLT being politically removed by the NBA commissioner over the bathroom bill. 18 months from now the Republican National Convention will be held here. Try to tell me that Charlotte is NOT an Anchor city!
While not intending to bring this issue back to the light, it points to the non-sensical mindset of lawmakers seeking to stretch the boundaries of common sense. While every one of all races and sex wishes for everyone to have the right to vote, we certainly do not want to make it easy for cheaters to disenfranchise the voting system. A few thousand illegal voters can sway a vote just enough to sway an election. Ironically in 2016, the current Governor won versus the incumbent Governor Pat McCrory (who was lambasted for the passing of the bathroom bill) by a mere .02% of the vote (about 9,800 total votes in case I did the math wrong). It was feared by many that voter fraud was prevalent in that 2016 election.
The winning Governor, Roy Cooper, post the 2018 vote by the NC voters approving the voter ID bill used his new gained power to the maximum to disenfranchise NC voters. On December the 15th Cooper vetoed the bill (which had to officially go before the NC Congress to complete the bill’s details) used his power as a standalone person to veto the bill. Some thought it perhaps was a political only statement as his veto was easily overridden a few days later by the power of the legislature of the state.
However, with the Judges ruling it is evident there is careful manipulation of the legal system taking place in this state, headed up by the Governor himself. With Judge Collins act taking place in the county where the Governor resides, it will again force costly delays for the law to come into fruition. The Governor clearly has no regard to what the voters have asked for.
It is no small piece of information that the appeals process could force the ruling of the county supreme court Judges atrocity could force it all to be reviewed by the NC Supreme Court. The current NC Supreme Court has seven Judges, five of which carry a liberal viewpoint. One of the other two seats may become vacant, leaving Cooper in control of replacing that person with another with a view similar to his.
Hello North Carolinians! I know some people who did not vote the past few elections because ‘I hate politics, and the system is corrupt, so why should I care or waste my time with it?’ Your inactions may seem like the right thing to do. But guess what, others who diabolically differ in their views in comparison to you are not only setting their own rules in place, they are disenfranchising those who are fighting alone for your rights.
North Carolina is once again in the midst of dealing with the voter fraud that has taken place by this judges decision. The timing of putting a halt on the voter ID correction falls into place at a time when the District 9 voting of Mark Harris vs. Dan McReady US Congress revote has arisen. It is ironic that in an area where a GOP representative has won District Nine (which is where I live) for the past 56 years Harris won the district by a mere 900 votes.
McReady was backed by many outside of the district sources outspending Harris by triple the amount of money . With the election being so close it was easy for both sides to claim voter fraud, whether it was from illegal voters or cheating on the counting in various ways, a la Al Gore vs. G.W. Bush.
If you have read the headlines, it is now a North Carolina headliner, ironically again, there will now be a re-vote as McReady filed a lawsuit to seek a new election. Enough questions were proven in the lawsuit that possible voter fraud occurred in one of the remote counties of the district that represented 1/28th of the entire vote. I do not blame Dan McReady for the lawsuit, with as lax as our voting system is, I would have done the same thing if I were in his boat. We’ll never know with the system we have today though if all was done fairly if McReady would have actually won, or if Harris would have won by a larger number of votes to erase any questions.
As Worriers, we are often told by well-meaning people that worry is bad. Worry is not trusting God is what is told to church-goers. I have come to grips with a different view of worry, it is called discernment. It is called concern. To sit on our hands and ignore the manipulation of our minds and lives by so-called leaders and even judges should have us all very worried. If this were happening in New York or California, we would have concern but not be surprised. The fact it is happening in North Carolina should be a wakeup call (from Wake County ironically) for all of us.
Whether a person is wearing a red hat or a blue hat we all should have one thing in common, cheaters and criminals should not be given free rein to undo what people have voted for. Many in America have fought hard for the rights of all men and women of all races to have a say in the government. It cost some their very own lives. Nearly all of us had ancestors that went through the legal process to become vote-carrying citizens. We must together fight like warriors to ensure that no person of any race or sex ever has their vote disenfranchised.
Will you sit and ignore, or take notice and stand against the cheating and lying that is happening in our local and national governments?
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Political manipulation of the people is by no means a new phenomenon. It is also not new that people tend to downplay and avoid politics and feel it is NOT their problem. They sleep soundly at night and keep their eyes closed during the day, not wanting to make waves with people. Meanwhile, manipulation, cheating and plotting to harm good people happens before their eyes, and they do not notice the obvious before it is too late.
I am going to assume everyone knows the story of Judas, who made a deal with politicians and religious leaders to turn Jesus over to them for 30 pieces of silver. If you do not, read Mathew 26 for the whole story.
The short version was the leaders in Jerusalem had had enough of Jesus popularity. While they loved what He was doing, they did not agree with His peace bringing message. It says in Mathew 26 that they plotted to have him killed and suckered one of his disciples into handing him over to them for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus had just explained to the disciples that these leaders were going to kill him (apparently they did not believe it) and that they were so blind that one of their own friends who had been stealing their money was going to turn him in. The disciples were in la la land that all was good in their circle, and all the people were good and did not notice Judas was a liar and a thief.
The night of Judas turning him in Jesus asked for some support as He knew what was coming. This is what he got from the guys whom he taught and took care of for 3 solid years:
“Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.
So what did they do?
Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray,
It happened three times:
So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer, Judas is here!
It is easy for us to look back on that moment in history and say, how in the world could they do that? How could they sleep when here was Jesus only one time asking for help? Never before had he asked for any help, this time after telling them he was about to be killed, not one single one of them could keep awake! Amazing, you say. Well North Carolinians, are we awake?
To further implicate the disciples we know they became scared to death after Jesus was arrested. They worried that they also would be arrested like him. And certainly, they must have worried about what Jesus said that he might be hurt by them. Just a little to worry about, so they stayed away in his time of need.
So what do leaders who are manipulating people, manipulating the system, and manipulating Judges do? They incite a crowd of people with propaganda for a while and then when the time comes, as part of the plots they set up plants in a crowd to VOTE their way. The MSG described the scene in Matthew 27 when a VOTE was taken to determine how to handle this trouble-maker named Jesus:
15-26 It was an old custom during the Feast for the governor (not Governor Cooper) to pardon a single prisoner named by the crowd. At the time, they had the infamous Barabbas in prison. With the crowd before him, Pilate said, “Which prisoner do you want me to pardon: Barabbas, or Jesus the so-called Christ?” He knew it was through sheer spite that they had turned Jesus over to him.
Meanwhile, the high priests and religious leaders had talked the crowd into asking (think about that, had the 11 disciples not wimped out, maybe they could have prevented it from happening, but then again, we now know Jesus death was a necessary sacrifice for our salvation) for the pardon of Barabbas and the execution of JesusThe governor asked, “Which of the two do you want me to pardon?”
They said, “Barabbas! “Then what do I do with Jesus, the so-called Christ?” They all shouted, “Nail him to a cross!” He objected, “But for what crime?”But they yelled all the louder, “Nail him to a cross!”
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”
The crowd answered, “We’ll take the blame, we and our children after us. Then he pardoned Barabbas. But he had Jesus whipped, and then handed over for crucifixion.
Keep in mind, two days before this nearly everyone in Jerusalem had a parade for Jesus as He came into town. He was wildly popular amongst ALL the people except for the leaders of the synagogue who were losing their authority and power. Everything is about power, isn’t it? Leaders are willing to do anything to gain power and authority. If at risk of losing their power, they are willing to sacrifice even common sense to gain it back or increase that power.
Why would anyone think it is a good thing to give voting rights to people that are not citizens of our own country. How absurd would it be for a country of 300 million people to, for example, to let the 3billion people of China set our laws for us? Yet some politicians are willing to let anyone vote because some know it will help them get the power that they did not have before and take it away from the people that do not agree with their way of thinking.
Talking about politics without being political is hard. Some people have foolishly interpreted the Bible thinking that even voting is something we should not participate in. We have been lulled to sleep by negativity in the media and politics thinking we have no voice.
In actuality, we have a loud voice, which is why the plotters work so hard to silence and send worry and fear upon those who stand up for others. We are misinterpreted when protecting our women and children against rapist and sex traffickers as ‘homophobic.’ We misinterpret fighting against corruption and cheating people as ‘not turning the other cheek.’ We misinterpret allowing other countries to get rid of their prisoners (not that all are prisoners, but many are leaving to leave behind their problematic lives) by sending them across the border as ‘not loving the poor and the oppressed.’ We misinterpret standing by the police as ‘racism.’ We misinterpret the news where people who are paid to lie or create false stories as ‘not believing the best in people because all are gods children.’
At some point, we need to wake up and notice what is happening. Right in our own backyard, we are seeing people disenfranchised. Will we stay asleep, or take actions to stop the madness?
What can I do you ask?
- Get out and vote next time, so the votes are not so close.
- Educate yourself and those who you know about what is happening.
- Talk to your fellow church-goers and neighbors and fill them in on the facts and understand the manipulation that is taking place. Support those who are bold enough to face the corrupt and are fighting for yours and your families safety and well-being.
- Bring peace and the good news to others. Sometimes the good news though has to start with mentioning the bad news that is happening outside our circle, sorry. We want to tell people how loving God is, which is absolutely vital and #1. But why would anyone need to get saved if they don’t think they or anyone else is lost and that all is well. Perhaps they cannot tell the difference between those who believe and those who don’t. Maybe we need to seriously evaluate what affect if any we are having on our society.
I know I open myself up to places I’d rather not be when talking about politics. But how many atrocities need to occur before we do something to stop the corruption? I stand open to criticism and comments, please let us hear them. But keep it clean so I don’t have to delete it.
Please share your comments, your thoughts may be what others are afraid to say. Anonymous posts are allowed, but subject to good taste.
Theee thoughts… all the NY, NJ, CA moving to NC are ruining this once Red state.
Two – Also if for the 2A you need identification, why does not voting hold that same standard?
Three – if a driving license is required to vote, does that not mean an illegal immigrant can vote?
I wish there was an answer to questions of why. Many decisions are made by people whose agendas are set on nothing but hate, revenge and bitterness. No doubt the warm weather and beauty of the Carolinas has brought the same people here who voted in people that gave them the high taxes back in NY, NJ and CA. Aside from the influx of liberals escaping what they were part of creating (and now re-creating it here) are state funded schools with profs who have no belief in God. They teach fantasy socialism to students who can’t wait to vote in politicians that promise to erase their $100k student loan debt.