Vanity Fair and Florida Elections

If you want to read a thorough, apparently well researched article about the horror that was the 2000 Presidential election and the aftermath in Florida, you have to pick up the October issue of Vanity Fair. From the Supreme Court deliberations to the manipulations and outright deception by Florida's politicians and various government officials, if you read this and don't get steamed, you're not breathing. Check it out. Unfortunately, Conde Nast, in their infinite wisdom, doesn't make Vanity Fair articles available online, so you'll have to go pick up the magazine. And, while you're at it, shoot a letter to Jeb Bush voicing your outrage. Here's mine:


September 23, 2004

Governor Jeb Bush
Plaza Level, The Capitol
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

VIA FAX & MAIL: 850-487-0801

Re: The Florida Elections

Dear Governor:

First let me send my best wishes for a speedy recovery from the recent storms that have hit your state and the storms that may make landfall in the coming days or weeks. While I am not a resident of your state, I do have relatives and friends living there.

But the real reason for this letter is to express my utter disgust at the state of voting rights in your state. It is now common knowledge that many, many innocent individuals were prevented from voting in the 2000 Presidential elections due to what can only be called the questionable actions of numerous individuals within the Florida government. I have just finished reading the article in the October issue of Vanity Fair about the difficulty that way too many people in your state have to deal with in order to do something as simple as vote. You should really be embarrassed. I know if I were the governor of a state with as many problems as yours, I would probably be a bit more critical of my performance than you appear to be. Hell, I doubt that I would have seen fit to run for reelection after the boondoggle that I presided over. But that’s just me and a little something I like to call integrity.

Too many people put their lives on the line in order to ensure that they had the right to vote. People died for this right. And here you and your minions have seen fit to advance your own causes (and the causes of your brother) by taking this right away from the people. People who were mistakenly labeled ex-convicts. Ex-convicts whose rights had been restored, only to have you take them away again. It’s utterly disgraceful.

I truly hope that the race this year in Florida is not as close as it was in 2000 so that, despite the misguided actions of your administration, the votes of those whom you have chosen to alienate and who were not able to vote are not pivotal to the outcome of the election.

Sincerely,

Joel C. Press