Political Irony

All elections are important but many voters pay scant attention when national offices are not on the ballot. Tomorrow Nov 8 is a good example.

City council and school board elections traditionally were non-partisan but in recent decades have become ideological battlegrounds that have tremendous influence on our youth and our future. With less publicity and interest, off year elections are much more susceptible to voter suppression and fraud.

Everybody thinks it’s the other side that cheats. In fact, some excuse dirty tricks by claims that they are balancing the cheating from the opposition. Both sides do have their tricks, many of which are legal – such as Rush Limbaugh encouraging Republicans to vote in Democratic primaries – so we all have a stake in discouraging and reporting election irregularities. I have my own opinion as to which side currently cheats the most but historically dirty tricks and fraud are non-partisan.

The atmosphere of your polling site should be neutral and non-threatening for all. If someone is campaigning too close to the polling site or if posters are on site, this and other seemingly innocent abuses should be reported and corrected. If the vote suppressing activity is outside the polling place boundaries and therefore legal, you can offset the intimidation by acting as a welcoming face supporting all who come to vote.

Allthingsdemocrat  has an excellent post on preventing election fraud. Despite the partisan source, the information is nonpartisan. In particular, they recommend:

1)    bring a camera

2)    be observant

3)    document irregularities

4)    notify election officials on site (even if they’re the offender)

5)    report. You can call 1-888-DEM-VOTE and/or follow the US Department of Justice recommendation that you immediately call your local FBI. Look that number up and carry it with you to the polls.

And remember, some voter suppression techniques are legal but that does not mean they should be ignored. We can still act to reduce their impact by our own behavior and by shining light into the darker corners of elections.

– Iron Filing

After much anticipation, Friday was my first day at Occupy Boston. First impression – disappointment.

Yes, I expected it to be a bit messy but the clash between reality and dream can be harsh. Despite the impressive number of tents, perhaps a couple hundred, only a few dozen people showed up for the morning General Assembly. Meeting within any organization dedicated to consensus is always difficult but the presence of several persons consumed by their own psychotic demons is a challenge that I had not imagined. Much time was spent allowing individuals, both sane and less so, to vent their frustrations. I had hoped to hear of dreams and aspirations.

Yet as time passed, my attitude slowly changed. I began to notice the efforts of individuals quietly and discreetly working to focus the group. Whenever a particularly disturbed individual began to disrupt, one or two young people would move over to him and quietly talk him down and draw his attention away from the larger group then listen to him. It takes real bravery and dedication to stand toe to toe with a large, angry, spitting psychotic and calmly talk.

I began to see some of the informal understandings and structures that had developed to facilitate cohesion within the group. And as time passed more people showed up and group coherence improved as the proportion of disturbed individuals was diminished. The assembly eventually became large enough that the human microphone became necessary. If someone could not hear, they would shout, “MIC CHECK” and the crowd would respond in unison, “MIC CHECK”, and after that every phrase uttered by the speaker would be repeated by the front of the assembly so those in back could hear. This simple solution had a remarkable unifying effect. It reminded me of the “call and response” at the Southern Baptist church of my youth. We shared a communion of thought as we spoke the same words of the speaker. Can there be a better way to truly listen than to repeat the words spoken by another?

In the afternoon, I was delighted to hear Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz speak on the history of social movements. After 50 years of activism, she is still a dynamo. She has seen wave after wave of progressive movements come in and retreat but she believes that the tide is ever rising and she welcomes each wave with enthusiasm. She spoke to the moment when she pointed out that reality is not always what we want or pretty but seeing and speaking truth is such an important step that she has come to believe that “truth and reality are always upbeat.” At that moment I was glad that I had come to Occupy Boston in the early gritty hours. All of Occupy Wherever is not pretty but despite the distractions the truth and reality of Occupy Boston are definitely upbeat.

– Iron Filing