Former Republican Friend--Now Philly Poll Watcher

[msanthrope]

Spoke with a Republican friend a few days ago. I'm still trying to sort out how I feel about being yelled at and told that "you are dividing the country with your hatred! You have to back the President!!!"

Turns out that friend (now, ex-friend) has been recruited to be a 'poll-watcher' in the city of Philadelphia. She told me that it is her duty to challenge the "wetbacks who are not legal citizens." She is going there with the intent of disrupting the vote. Any voter she sees who she suspects, she is supposed to "challenge and make them prove they are citizens." She told me that she is working for the Republican party, and she is allowed to be inside the polling place, as opposed to outside of it. What was even sicker than the threats was the crazed, self-righteous way she told me about it--it made her feel good. She enjoyed the thought of supressing the minority vote.

What nearly made her head pop was this: I told her that nothing could prevent a voter from taking her picture and calling the police and filing a complaint and getting her name and address. She told me that this was "intimidation." There was real fear in her voice when I told her that of course voters could challenge her back. All of her bluster, all of her bravado, vanished when I told her that this time, Democrats were't backing down--we were takig names, numbers, and pictures.

And I realized something. These slimy sons of bitches want to supress the minority vote....they just don't want to be on camera doing it. They want to be able to crawl back to their enclaves and deny that they did anything wrong. The solution?

1) Pictures. Recordings. Video.
2) If you are present when a voter is challenged, demand to know the name of the person challenging the ballot. Take their picture.
3) Know your local Dem numbers.
4) Get other voters in line to help you. Give help if you are asked.
5) Don't back down.

When I got off the phone with my ex-friend, I didn't despair. I saw this as an opportunity to fulfll my duty as a civic-minded, patriotic American.

I'll be damned before I let these bastards take my county away.

I'll be damned before I let bigots have the final say over who canand cannot vote in this country.

I'll be damned before I forget the blood of patriots spilled to keep my liberty.

Vote. Poll watch. Organize. HOPE....