Search of Democrats on Yahoo News! And the number 5 item is

[ProSense]

Democrat Presidential Hopefuls Admit They'll Try to Con Americans

Sierra Times - 12 minutes ago
Folks, I was shocked! SHOCKED when I read an Associated Press news story that, in essence, told readers that the Democrat Party is cautioning their left-wing actvists to "cool it," and start sounding as if they are normal Americans instead of the Stalinist mob we've all come to know and love.

The crazy stuff is bubbling to the surface more and more every day.

[Dark]

1. Well, actually. . .

I just received an email from the College Democrats a few days ago. They were asking for help to restore felons' rights, including the right to vote. My jaw dropped.

This is why the Democrats can't get many moderates on their side for the long term. Because groups embrace these such issues that, before an average American has heard it out, he's already made up his mind.

While I agree that there is a problem with our criminal justice system and it needs to be addressed, it does NOT need to be addressed right now. There are so many more issues more pertinent The Iraq war, Global Warming, Gay marriage, Abortion, Economy, Outsourcing, Immigration, and national security all weigh much more heavily on the average Joe's mind than ex-cons being deprived of their citizenship.

Sorry, but I really can't sympathize with people who've committed felonies being denied rights. The only reason why I see this as even remotely important concerns the possibility of an innocent person being denied rights for something he (or she) was falsely convicted of. Even then, this issue is a no winner.

[brentspeak]

3. Make sure that's a legit College Democrat email

The website for College Democrats of America makes no mention of securing voting rights for convicted felons, just an archived document on how 10,000 black males who wanted to vote in Florida were incorrectly labeled as "felons".

[Dark]

6. It was. And I just unsubscribed myself from the list.

All they ever do is write emails. They have yet to conduct any serious actions (such as protests, petitions, etc.)

[ProSense]

4. An e-mail is not the same as news on a major search engine. n/t

[Dark]

5. No, but if they are asking for help from students, it may end up on one.nt

[papau]

7. Point is "felons no vote" equal disproportionate hit on black vote due to

disproportionate treatment of crack drug convictions versus white folks drug rehab treatments in lieu of conviction. If only blacks would vote "right", so that crack cocaine arrests could be treated like other drug arrests.

There is little that the GOP does in "law and order" that is not motivated to increase the control of the rich and corporate, IMHO.

[Asgaya Dihi]

8. It's not a clear issue

The loss of voting rights is a bigger issue than most realize. Somewhere around 4.7 million have lost the right to vote and a large percentage of those due to drug convictions. You don't even have to be a user or dealer to go to prison, just be caught in the wrong home or car with the wrong person in the wrong neighborhood. That's possession in some places. I'll give you a quote from a fact sheet on mandatory minimums then a link to it and a site that shows our racial balance in prison these days. As close as our last few elections have been it's worth considering who the people deprived of their rights might have voted for.

"Mandatory sentencing laws disproportionately affect people of color. African-Americans make up 15% of the country’s drug users, yet they make up 37% of those arrested for drug violations, 59% of those convicted, and 74% of those sentenced to prison for a drug offense".

http://www.idpi.us/resources/factsheets/mm_factsheet.htm

Racial balance
http://www.prisonsucks.com/

And if you'd like to see how we compare to other nations check the following site, select World Prison Brief from the main page then your options from there. Click highest to lowest and you get full world instead of regions.
http://www.prisonstudies.org/

[Rosemary2205]

9. I would like to point out

that according to the NAACP over 50% of black males have lost their right to vote because of felony convictions. -- Clearly, the so called justice system is being used to pick up where Jim Crow left off.

[Karenca]

10. "Conned: How Millions Went to Prison, Lost the Vote, and Helped Send

George W. Bush to The White House"
by Sasha Abramsky

Read this book----I think you will change your mind about voter disenfranchisement. This IS one of our very most important issues---- it was one of the most significant reasons that the Neocons were able to steal our last two elections.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1565849663/sr=8-1/qid=1151326743/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8486985-6848726?ie=UTF8

[Crazy Dave]

2. Both sides

Conservatives trying to sway liberals over to the "dark side", liberals trying to sway conservatives "into the light". Both sides end up pissing off their loyal and true constituents who then go elsewhere, Nader (libs) or some Libertarian (cons) and neither side gains anything.