An open letter to Jesse Jackson

© 2000

Dear Reverend Jesse Jackson: I have something to say in response to your not-so-veiled threat to provoke riots if the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't rule to your liking in the matter of the presidential vote count: Grow up, do something constructive with your time, get a life. This game you play -- shaking down the American corporate and political establishment by invoking fear -- is getting old. Your credibility -- if you ever had any -- is threadbare at best. There is a growing consensus in America that you are little more than a joke -- and this kind of political extortion will not work any longer. "Even if this court rules against counting our vote, it will simply create a civil rights explosion," you said after leaving today's Supreme Court hearing. "People will not surrender to this tyranny. This people will not stand by and accept this with surrender. We can afford to lose an election -- you win some, you lose some. You can't afford to lose your franchise. People will be fighting for their right to vote and for their vote to count. The same forces that were against the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ... seek to disenfranchise us in 2000 and do not want to renew the Voting Rights Act in the year 2007." We know what you are saying. We understand the code words. We all know what you mean by "civil rights explosion." And it doesn't scare many of us. The real civil rights explosion would occur in this country if the Supreme Court bowed to your brand of coercion and intimidation. I hear from people everyday sickened by the way their votes are being stolen by courts, by voter fraud and by attempts to change the rules in the middle of the political game. I know you are desperate. It shows in the words you choose, in the hyperbole you invoke, in the intensity of the rhetoric you employ. You're right about something else: People will not surrender to this tyranny -- the tyranny you would like to impose on the freedom-loving, law-abiding, rules-respecting people of the United States. In closing, let me remind you of one more fact you seem to have forgotten. In suggesting those opposing your shameless, partisan pandering on behalf of Vice President Al Gore, are the same folks who opposed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, please recall that Sen. Al Gore Sr., your favorite candidate's father, was among the many congressional Democrats who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Joseph Farah

Joseph Farah is editor and chief executive officer of WorldNetDaily.com and writes a daily column.

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), December 12, 2000

Answers

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/abc/20001211/pl/jackson_urges_nationwide_ protests_1.html

Monday December 11 03:39 PM EST

Jackson Urges Nationwide Protests

By ABCNEWS.com

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is organizing nationwide demonstrations to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor of Al Gore and allow hand-counted votes to be tallied in Florida.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson has called for nationwide demonstrations at 5 p.m. today in favor of including manually recounted votes in Florida's presidential election total.

Jackson is urging protests in front of local courthouses to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to let Florida election officials finish the recount, which was ordered Friday by Florida's Supreme Court, but suspended by the federal court Saturday.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today on the case. The outcome will likely decide whether Democratic candidate Al Gore or Republican candidate George W. Bush receives Florida's 25 electoral votes and most likely the presidency.

Bush lawyers argue the recount ordered by the Florida high court was illegal and unconstitutional. Jackson, like the Gore team, argue what's at stake is the right of voters to have their ballots counted.

"You cannot afford to lose your franchise. It is extraordinary the Supreme Court would even consider discounting people's votes," said Jackson, who heads the multiracial, multi-issue Rainbow-PUSH coalition he founded.

"I hope today that this court will rule 'let the vote count.' The only way you can determine a legitimate winner is for the votes to count," he said.

Friend of Gore

Jackson and other minority leaders have charged black voting in Florida was suppressed in violation of U.S. civil rights law. Last week, he and others filed a lawsuit against the Duval County canvassing board, Bush and his running mate, Dick Cheney, arguing an extremely high percentage of county voters whose ballots were rejected for lack of a vote or more than one vote were African- American.

Jackson is an acknowledged Gore supporter.

"We talk often and we have prayer and we analyze what's happening," he said today, in Washington for the Supreme Court hearing.

Jackson expressed concern the high court may rule against Gore along the lines it took when it decided 5-4 to suspend the recount Saturday.

"It's split along very political lines and courts at their best have a sense of fairness that transcends partisan argument, at it's best it is that. But historically we've also known courts at their worst to go the other way."

-- (in@the.news), December 12, 2000.

MEMO:TO JESSE JACKSON

Bite me you shit stirrin',opportunistic,asshole and there's a few more I refuse to waste my time typing.

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), December 12, 2000.

racist fuckin' pigs!

-- KlanKiller (KlanKiller@eatshit.com), December 12, 2000.

"An Open Letter To Joseph Farah:

Joseph Who?"

(rotflmao)

(Come on, you guys make this tooooooooooo easy.)

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), December 12, 2000.

KlanKiller,

There is no doubt that Jesse Jackson is a racist; however, referring to him as a "fuckin' pig" goes too far.

-- J (Y2J@home.comm), December 12, 2000.