Do Democrats think minorities can’t write?
By Brian Kirwin | Sunday, April 11th, 2010 | Catch-AllI was shocked when I read Anita Kumar’s slanted, inflammatory Washington Post article about Governor McDonnell’s good proposal about restoring voting rights for nonviolent felons.
Here was what Kumar wrote.
McDonnell (R) will require the offenders to submit an essay outlining their contributions to society since their release, turning a nearly automatic process into a subjective one that some say may prevent poor, less-educated or minority residents from being allowed to vote. (WaPo)
Minority residents? I read the story over and over, and Kumar didn’t include a single quote, a single paraphrase, a single hint that anyone said anything about minority residents. What’s the connection between writing an essay and being a minority?
My first question would be “Are you saying that writing an essay is a racial barrier?”
But the only person to make a racial point was Kumar. I emailed Kumar the following:
In your story about McDonnell’s rights-restoration change, you write “some say might prevent poor, less-educated or minority residents from being allowed to vote.”
I don’t see any of the “some” saying anything about minority residents in your story. Are there any quotes you can share that actually have “some” saying McDonnell’s change “might prevent” minority voting?
No response yet, but her story was reprinted today in the Virginian-Pilot, and the paragraph has been rewritten here (It’s in original form in the WaPo…at least for now). In the Pilot, it now reads:
“McDonnell will require the offenders to submit an essay outlining their contributions to society since their release, turning a nearly automatic process into a subjective one.”
Amazing, isn’t it?
Why would a reporter inflame a story with racial overtones when no one spoke of race, at least on the record? And why would the sentence be scrubbed for a reprint?
I’m offended by the Washington Post’s shameless efforts to fan racial flames by spinning a “news” story without any basis in fact.
UPDATE: Kumar has emailed me and said “Those concerns were shared by the Virginia NAACP and other members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.”
Somehow, those quotes weren’t in the story.
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The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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28 Responses to "Do Democrats think minorities can’t write?"
I’m offended that somebody is actually getting paid to read and grade the essay documents. Are we now going to have a state employee to oversee and verify who actually writes the essay? Or do we really care?
Just more dumbness coming out of McD’s Richmond… Or maybe Bob is finally creating “a single job” for somebody. LOL
And if it was a union job, you’d be making sure it got free retirement and benefits and everything else, Bill.
I would! Thank you for supporting the working men and women of America! I know I can always count on you.
Good proposal by Bob. William, Unions are killing this country, thanks a bunch.
FYI: Virginia is a “Right to Work” state so what about the Unions is killing Virginia? Nothing… And nationally only 4% of the workers are in a union so you are really barking up the wrong tree. It is the 96% of workers not in unions who are killing this country because their employeers are short changing them on the job and they allow it to happen.
IMO: You are killing me by repeating comments by dumb TV hosts from The Farce TV… Use your brain and look at the facts or you can just continue to rant untrue statements that show how uninformed you are. Its your choice…
Did you expect anything more out of the Washington comPost? I am shocked the Pilot had the good sense to scrub the story.
Geez, he should probably make sure they can read, too, eh?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_test
Oh wait, someone already thought of that. The reality is, Bob McDonnell has set up yet another roadblock for ex-felons in Virginia, a group that contains disproportionate numbers of minorities, the same week that he declared Confederacy Month without mentioning slavery. Taken in concert with his alternate SOTU address and his clear abhorrence for the federal government, some of us are wondering how long it will be before McDonnell and Rick Perry make plans to break away for good. McDonnell and his AG need to step back from the right-wing fringe. The country is moving one direction and they’re going the other — off a cliff.
We could minimize costs on this proposal by requiring the essay to be posted on a blog, which they could access via a library computer if they don’t have one. Then each essay would have a poll on whether rights to that person should be restored. No paid grader required. The Commonwealth does so well with computer networks and such, I am sure they can come up with something that works great.
No, there’s nothing racist about McDonnell’s proposal. Actually, it dovetails with what I’ve argued about restoration of rights all along.
Restoration of rights should be the carrot dangled to help reform felons. Restoration shouldn’t be automatic, but rather earned by making a positive contribution to society. As such, McDonnell is simply asking the felon to document those good works.
Yes, that’s coming from Henry Ryto, with well-known ties to VB’s African-American community leadership, and who has already been signed on for Andrew Jackson’s City Council campaign. If Kumar doesn’t like the hard truth, ler her go cry to Harold.
@william, why are states with the highest union membership also have the highest unemployment?
It is not my responcibility to educate the posters on this blog but I’ll try. Union haydays were in the 1950′s when 50% of workers were in a union and America was at its peak but today union membership is only 4% and American jobs and its strenghts have been moved out of the country. Have you ever hard of the rust belt? American Industrial might? How about American companies moving jobs overseas to increase profit? Does that ring a bell? It should as that answers your question.
Remember American workers lost jobs because business owners wanted or needed a bigger profit. Workers never choose to move those busineses or jobs. Oh yea, I’ll now get the response that it was because of union’s higher incomes/salaries and benefits that those companies/businesses moved out of the country. Not exactly true. In reality, if you remember it used to be ok to expect a 5% annual return on a business investment but with the global marketplace and deregulation, a CEO and company investors now must have 10 to 22% a year or the company is a bust. And I am painting with a broad brush but you get the picture.
So there you have your answer: 50 years ago Americans used to produce the best products in the world but today it isn’t about the jobs, people, union membership or anything but the stock dividend or quick return on investment. The business community sold out the American workers and its power for larger quick profit return. It wasn’t the unions that sold out Americas strenght, it was the greed of Wall Street and its investors.
William, a major factor I hoped your fine post would have included was government imposed taxation, worker safety regulation, health safety and pollution controls among others that offshore manufacturing plants do not have to come into similar compliance with. Give me slave child labor at $4 per day and that transatlantic ship ride is cheaper than building it here. The reason we make less here is government. Our government (all parties are guilty) failed to require comparable goods to be manufactured in countries with comparable tax burdens and worker safety regs and human resources costs.
I have toured a few plants overseas. People are expendable. When they get sick, fire them and ship them back to the farm they came from. when they die, who gives a damn, your product was made for cheap and made it to port just in time. Next Christmas, look at all the christmas decorations closer, where were they made.. look at the cheap stuff people buy every day.. China. Why? because people are addicted to cheapo stuff and like crack they want more more more, cheaper.
I go out of my way to buy made in USA. It costs me a lot more. My wife has a fit finding childrens clothes made in the USA but I put my foot down and refuse to buy non us unless there is no other option and I have to have it. My waders I needed for Hunting, made in China.. stuff like that should be made here and it will not be until people demand their government representatives not just do more but stop the nonsense.. that won’t happen though, cheap is too addictive and our generation wants more right now for cheap..
Wall street is not the problem, its the symptom.. they will continue to rub money on candidates because you can buy influence… its cheap.
I don’t agree with McDonnell’s subjective standard, but do see this as a step in the correct direction. As a step forward, I can’t really criticize too much. However, white collar crime felons probably would have an advantage here. Also, while encouraging self-improvement, a good thing, it does in a way fly in the face of some of the principles of rights restoration.
1)If subjective, it could possibly be used to dictate which felons get their rights back. This opens every bias, but especially political ones.
2)Once you serve your sentence, you should have paid your debt to society. Are you now a free person or not? Ok, after parole/probation would also be acceptable as having served your full sentence, but at what point are you again a citizen? If you’re not, why have you been released at all?
3)Our politicians are constantly making new laws and upgrading crimes to felony status all on the basis of vanity. They want to be seen by the public as being tough on crime. Get ready for “breaking wind” in public to be a felony. The “right” will do it because it is offensive, and the “left” will do it to save the freakin’ planet from your methane expulsion. No really, the felonizing of everything really has become that stupid.
I do appreciate, McDonnell opening the door to full rights restoration since there are people that are still convicted felons under Virginia’s Sodomy law before it was struck down as being unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in its decision regarding the Texas law. The same law McDonnell championed and fought to maintain. Today, if you engage in oral sex in the privacy of your own home, it is no longer a felony. If you did it in public, it is still a career ending, rights stealing felony. I agree, sex in public should be illegal and bring a penalty, but ruin your career? Remove your right to self defense(2nd amendment)? No longer allowed to vote? Over a blow job in a dark alley? GET REAL! It brings question as to whether the 8th amendment is being trampled on. The sentence not fitting the crime, is cruel and unusual punishment.
McDonnell could always further refine his good proposal of restoring rights. We do have illiterate felons of all colors and political persuasions after all. Perhaps the essay could be mandatory, but it could be written by someone else translating into written word for the person having served their sentence. The mere act of the essay and thinking about how they are no longer damaging society and possibly adding to it, would be an objective standard. Just leave the grading and the mandatory literacy out.
James Quigley candidate for congress, 3rd district, has rights restoration as one of his key issues. I’ll ask him to formulate his response to Governor McDonnell’s proposal.
In reference to – FYI: Virginia is a “Right to Work” state so what about the Unions is killing Virginia? Virginia is a Right to work state but there are main unions (grandfather clause) that where in place before Virgina became a right to work state. For example, the railroads and longshoremen that work the ports. I went to work in the mid 70′s at one of the railroads and you did not get a job and you still do not get a job unless you are a Union member! In addition, if you did not pay your dues on time you can be terminated from your job within 5 days (I know first hand it almost happened to me). I have a friend who got a longshoreman job a couple of years ago and you do not get a job unless you join the union. Look how much just these 2 unions control our economy in Virginia. Most of freight in and out of Virgina ports control by unions. And do not forget Amtrack which operates with only union employees. Another example, the Ford Motor plant we use to have in Norfolk. You did not have to join the union but if you did not you would not be there long. I knew many ford workers and working for the railroad I was in the plant 20% of my working life and heard many stories. And of course the Ford plant is gone now. These are but a few examples and to think that unions are gone from Virginia is naieve.
Rob-Well, you’ve nailed. Gov. McDonnell has set up a latter-day “literacy test” in order to have the right to vote.
According to an article in C-Ville from May 2008: http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=141404064431134&ShowArticle_ID=11431905083135948
convicted felons seeking to restore their voting rights already have to write a letter to the governor explaining their crime and delineating how they have changed and are now a contributing member of society. How is this essay proposal from Gov. McDonnell diferent?
I don’t understand those who say having convicted felons write an essay is unfair. I would think that everyone would want persons being released from prison hoping to fit back into society to be educated to at least a basic level. I think the governors proposal doesn’t go far enough. I think it should be manditory that while incarcerated any convicted felon should have to complete their basic education and earn their high school dipolma or GED. After all it is most likely a lack of education and the ensuing poverty that prompted them to commit the crime that put them in prison in the first place. If we truly want to rehabilitate the men and women who move throught the penal system, shouldn’t educating them be a large and basic part of the process to help curtail recitivism? Why is that asking too much? Isn’t it going to benefit them when they are released to be better able to create a productive life for themselves and hopefully not return to prison?
Thank you Julie for the common sense.
Julie, would it be too much to ask the Commonwealth to pay for what you just proposed? How much do you think that will cost? You honestly think that will be cheap? And fly with Governor McDonnell?
And if felons already have to write an essay to begin with, why do they have to write another one?
If the school system gets involved in the essays, we can count on the cost to be in the billions.
Isn’t that what she was saying? That the school system has not been involved in the first place?
Or was she?
I think so, but I really truly honestly don’t think that people commit crimes because they flunked Biology.
the power grab by the Gov is breathtaking. I choose to attack this as an illegal power grab. Voting rights should be a judge ( or juries) job.
The gov, a member of the “Party of less gov” is not well
I have some points to make that may be redundant but need to be said
First, the partisanship makes me ill. Most of these people pointing their fingers at McDonnell seem to not understand that Kaine could have removed this himself and chose not to do so. The likely reason is the political liability on the national stage. Now that you can infer your republican enemy did it, you fabricate this fantasy that he is responsible. He didn’t open or close any door.
William, jobs left the country because the companies could not compete on a global stage. We all look the other way while the countries that take our jobs break every rule we insist be enforced. Then sit around like smug fools while it is being done out of our sight. So the business community did not sell out the worker, we did. We all did and continue to do so.
Lastly, to people like Rob and a couple of others; Wake up guys! It is easier for white collar workers to meet this standard as it will be easier for them to do anything. Have you forgotten this is the reward for educating yourself? Remember being told the educated person will make the better decisions and rise to the top? Not always the case but you get the picture. It is not bias for one group to be smarter than another, regardless of race. Race should never have been mentioned in this context. The premise is false and I am sure it is insulting to many minorities for you to make such an assumption based on their color or creed.
Ps. While reading several blogs, I am under the impression many of the posters like pvogel never voted or were concerned with the law or politics until the last national election. “Power grab” by McDonnell but unnoticed by Kaine? While I ride under no party flag, if this is the level of intellect joining the democratic party we are all screwed.
We need to speak about the root of this issue and not be taken down side roads. The real question is ‘When does our society recognize that an ex-felon has paid his debt to society?’ I believe that an individual’s debt to society is paid in prison and that he should not owe any money to the state nor should he have his right to vote held from him upon leaving prison. This is in accordance to our Constitution, Amendment XV, Section 1. “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Although this amendment was written to address the condition of former slaves after the Civil War, I believe the “previous condition of servitude” includes those that were imprisoned for crimes, as Amendment XIII Section 1 includes punishments for crimes as part of “conditions of servitude”. What about ‘no taxation without representation’? If an ex-felon has to bear the burden of taxation, shouldn’t he be able to enjoy its legal benefits?
Another question connected to this is, ‘What mechanism should be in place to restore an ex-felon’s rights when he has paid his debt?’ An ex-felon has to keep from wrongdoing for many years, and go through bureaucratic red tape in order to restore his rights. Why? We hold the records and social security number of every ex-felon in this country. The government should have a database that automatically restores the rights of an ex-felon when he passes the timeline of having his votes restored. An ex-felon who keeps to the straight and narrow should be congratulated and his accomplishment celebrated instead of having to deal with greater burdens. What is the purpose of making an ex-felon jump through hoops? Amendment VIII of the Constitution reads that “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” Anyone who has dealt with the Post Office and DMV knows that having to work through a government bureaucracy constitutes an inflicted cruel and unusual punishment.
James, you wrote “I believe that an individual’s debt to society is paid in prison.” Then you would oppose all sex offender registries?
I really don’t think that the essay would be graded based on writing ability, but on content, the feelings expressed, and the committment made. I don’t see why this can’t be a part of the process of returning to society so that felons can vote immediately after completing their sentence. I consider probation as part of their sentence and debt to society. I would have to think about sex offender registries. I don’t think they are intended as part of the punishment, but they effectively are. But if they are not part of the punishment, then we are infringing on someone’s liberty just in case they may commit crimes again…but we don’t want some of these people running around freely.
I can agree with probation and parole being part of the sentence. Until that is removed, I can see the arguement not to return their ability to vote.
Brian, just because you have had your basic rights returned back, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a criminal record! You also lose your expectation of privacy in that regard.
I would come up with a better response, but I have a Tea Party in Norfolk to attend and need to get going soon. James will be there, you can ask him yourself.
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