Alabama amendment to remove Jim Crow law fails

[Jobber of the Week 0]

http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/articles/...ews/992news.txt

 

Amend. 2 too close to call

By Kim Henderson

 

As of just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, results for Amendment 2 were too close to call. "There are just a few thousand votes separating them," remarked a spokesman with Secretary of State Nancy Worley's office.

 

The spokeperson said that provisional ballots throughout the state would have to be tallied before a final "yes" or "no" answer came in.

 

Amendment 2 was one of eight proposed amendments to the Alabama State Constitution on Tuesday's ballots.

 

The amendment, if passed, would strike Jim Crow-era segregation language from the constitution and strike the now defunct practice of collecting "poll taxes" to fund state education.

 

Opponents to the measure, including former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, said that a "yes" vote to Amendment 2 would open the door for a huge tax increase to fund public education.

 

Those advocating the measure - which would strike controversial language from the 1901 state constitution, including a passage in Section 256 that reads "Separate schools shall be established for white and colored children, and no child of either race shall be permitted to attend a school of the other race," - have said that this simply is an act to mend a statewide "black eye."

 

"For those who have tried to say that this is a back door to new taxes is absolutely untrue," Alabama House Speaker Seth Hammet commented.

 

"I think it's embarrassing to us in Alabama today, as we compete for jobs and new industry, to still have this language in our constitution."

 

Governor Bob Riley issued a statement Wednesday afternoon in reference to Amendment 2.

 

"It's unfortunate the change made by the Legislature generated so much confusion and doubt about the amendment's intentions," Gov. Riley commented.

 

"When I proposed this amendment to the Legislature, it simply removed segregationist language from our Constitution - something I hope all Alabamians would support.

 

"As I have previously said, I wish the Legislature had not altered my proposal. I believe their change made people skeptical of the amendment," Gov. Riley added. "I believe Alabama should remove segregationist language from our constitution.

 

"If the current version of Amendment 2 fails, I plan to reintroduce my original proposal."

 

A portion of the proposed amendment, which would allow for language stating that "all children" have a right to a public education set off alarm bells with some, including Moore, who stated recently that would be a "loophole" allowing for large-scale lawsuits and subsequent, mandated tax increases to fund education.

 

Riley's office, the Southern Poverty Law Center and others disagreed.

 

In Covington County, Amendment 2 passed by only 132 votes (50.69 percent yes; 49.31 percent no).

 

Of the 14,667 voters in the county who went to the polls, 6,831 people didn't vote one way or the other regarding Amendment 2.

 

According to Secretary Worley's office, it could be Thursday or later before a solid, absolute decision is rendered on the outcome of Amendment 2.

 

What kind of state is this even a tight issue? And yes, that's rhetorical. The next time someone complains that it's stereotypical to call people from the bible belt racists and uneducated, I'm going to point them to this CLOSE RACE on whether we ought to get rid of this language seperating the whites from the coloreds.

 

This isn't even a questionable issue of racy, like those tributes to the Confederacy (personally, I approve of the tributes to people and leaders, but not to the institution itself), this is an old example of racism printed plainly in black and white.

 

WTF IS WRONG with people!? Arrrrrgh....

[Guest JMA]

This is certainly an embarassment for Alabama (and we've had more than our share of those). It's a shame that stuff like this is even debated here. I really wish guys like Roy Moore and his ilk would leave this state for good.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I have a feeling this wasn't talked about down there and when people went in to vote the wording probably looks like you would be supporting a tax increase if you vote for this.

 

There have been a number of times where I'll read a prop. for the first time in a voting booth, determine if it's a tax hike, then vote "no" on it.

 

I have no clue what's going on down there -- just giving my first reaction to this story.

 

Besides, who wants to go to the bathroom with black people anyway?...

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

you know if anybody really wanted to be president, they would just run a platform of killing fags and brown people. (in indiana we call them "brownies")

[Guest MikeSC]

http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/articles/...ews/992news.txt

 

Amend. 2 too close to call

By Kim Henderson

 

As of just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, results for Amendment 2 were too close to call. "There are just a few thousand votes separating them," remarked a spokesman with Secretary of State Nancy Worley's office.

 

The spokeperson said that provisional ballots throughout the state would have to be tallied before a final "yes" or "no" answer came in.

 

Amendment 2 was one of eight proposed amendments to the Alabama State Constitution on Tuesday's ballots.

 

The amendment, if passed, would strike Jim Crow-era segregation language from the constitution and strike the now defunct practice of collecting "poll taxes" to fund state education.

 

Opponents to the measure, including former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, said that a "yes" vote to Amendment 2 would open the door for a huge tax increase to fund public education.

 

Those advocating the measure - which would strike controversial language from the 1901 state constitution, including a passage in Section 256 that reads "Separate schools shall be established for white and colored children, and no child of either race shall be permitted to attend a school of the other race," - have said that this simply is an act to mend a statewide "black eye."

 

"For those who have tried to say that this is a back door to new taxes is absolutely untrue," Alabama House Speaker Seth Hammet commented.

 

"I think it's embarrassing to us in Alabama today, as we compete for jobs and new industry, to still have this language in our constitution."

 

Governor Bob Riley issued a statement Wednesday afternoon in reference to Amendment 2.

 

"It's unfortunate the change made by the Legislature generated so much confusion and doubt about the amendment's intentions," Gov. Riley commented.

 

"When I proposed this amendment to the Legislature, it simply removed segregationist language from our Constitution - something I hope all Alabamians would support.

 

"As I have previously said, I wish the Legislature had not altered my proposal. I believe their change made people skeptical of the amendment," Gov. Riley added. "I believe Alabama should remove segregationist language from our constitution.

 

"If the current version of Amendment 2 fails, I plan to reintroduce my original proposal."

 

A portion of the proposed amendment, which would allow for language stating that "all children" have a right to a public education set off alarm bells with some, including Moore, who stated recently that would be a "loophole" allowing for large-scale lawsuits and subsequent, mandated tax increases to fund education.

 

Riley's office, the Southern Poverty Law Center and others disagreed.

 

In Covington County, Amendment 2 passed by only 132 votes (50.69 percent yes; 49.31 percent no).

 

Of the 14,667 voters in the county who went to the polls, 6,831 people didn't vote one way or the other regarding Amendment 2.

 

According to Secretary Worley's office, it could be Thursday or later before a solid, absolute decision is rendered on the outcome of Amendment 2.

 

What kind of state is this even a tight issue? And yes, that's rhetorical. The next time someone complains that it's stereotypical to call people from the bible belt racists and uneducated, I'm going to point them to this CLOSE RACE on whether we ought to get rid of this language seperating the whites from the coloreds.

 

This isn't even a questionable issue of racy, like those tributes to the Confederacy (personally, I approve of the tributes to people and leaders, but not to the institution itself), this is an old example of racism printed plainly in black and white.

 

WTF IS WRONG with people!? Arrrrrgh....

Why not post the wording of the amendment before just randomly bitching?

-=Mike

[CanadianChris 0]

http://www.constitutionalreform.org/pdf/Up...t_Number_2.pdf:

 

“Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to repeal portions of Section 256 and Amendment 111 relating to separation of schools by race and repeal portions of Amendment 111 concerning constitutional construction against the right to education, and to repeal Section 259, Amendment 90, and Amendment 109 relating to the poll tax.”

 

Basically, they're removing all references to segregated schools and poll taxes from the Constitution. Nothing on increased school taxes at all.

[2GOLD 0]

They couldn't simplify that?

 

That reads like a tax form.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

It's Alabama

 

nuff said peoples

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

OK, I pretended that I saw this on a voting ballot and I was about to vote on it. If I hadn't heard about this before voting, I probably would have voted no.

 

Not because OMG I'M FOR WHITES ONLY SCHOOLZ, but because I have no idea what the hell they are talking about and if you don't know, just shoot it down...

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

So the citizens of Alabama are either a) racist, or b) quite dumb. At least there's Auburn football.

[Guest SP-1]

I like how you automatically associate this with "bible belt" people.

 

Rednecks and retards did this. If anyone knows what the Bible actually teaches they wouldn't have voted against removing it.

[Guest Retro Rob]

Obviously the fact that they are retarded clouds their ability to understand what the Bible actually teaches, but that doesn't stop them from trying.

[Guest thebigjig]

Obviously the fact that they are retarded clouds their ability to understand what the Bible actually teaches, but that doesn't stop them from trying.

like stoning disobedient children in public?

 

 

 

... sorry

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I still don't see how this makes someone "dumb." If you don't understand what a ballot says, then don't vote for it. Many of these ballots (especially ones wanting to raise taxes) aren't talked about by its supporters before Election Day, hoping they can sneak it into law...

[Guest Cerebus]

Speaking of retardation I think everyone in this thread from the "blue states" have a healthy dose:

 

The battle lines over Amendment Two on Tuesday's ballot are beginning to resemble the lineup last year over Governor Riley's unsuccessful tax plan, known as Amendment One.

Some people are starting to see Tuesday's vote as a possible referendum on the Republican governor.

 

Former U-S- Representative Glen Browder says the debate won't end with Tuesday's vote, but will resurface in 2006.

 

Part of Amendment Two would remove outdated "Jim Crow" provisions from Alabama's constitution that mandate segregated schools and poll taxes. No one argues with that part of the amendment.

 

What is causing the debate is a part of the amendment that would remove language from Alabama's constitution that says there is NO right to an education at public expense in Alabama. Alabama voters put the language in the constitution in 1956 -- two years after the U-S- Supreme Court's decision in Brown versus Board of Education ordered an end to "separate but equal" schools.

 

Also:

 

An effort to rid Alabama's Constitution of segregation-era language appears to be losing by a slim margin after critics raised concerns that it could lead to a court-ordered tax increase for public schools.

 

With 99 percent of precincts reporting as the unofficial count neared completion on Wednesday, Amendment Two was losing by about three-thousand-400 votes out of one-point-37 million cast. There were nearly 689-thousand votes against it, and 685-thousand-508 votes for it. Still to be counted were an unknown number of provisional ballots along with absentee ballots in some counties.

 

Governor Bob Riley said if the amendment fails, he will offer a reworked version that eliminates the section that raised concerns of a tax increase. The new part deleted a 1956 declaration that there is no right to an education at public expense in Alabama. Opponents said removing the section could allow a federal court to rule that education is a right and that Alabama must provide more funding through a tax increase.

 

It turns out it would indeed lead to a tax increase but was attatched to an amendment nobody really opposed. In legislatures we call that a "rider bill."

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

OMG THEY ARE SO RACIST BECAUSE THEY ALSO PROBABLY VOTED FOR BUSH!

 

Wait, I'm from a blue state, Cereb. Fuck you hippie -- you're from a "blew" state, too...

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Did this pass or not?

 

And are the people voting against this amendment still RACISTS?...

[Guest Cerebus]

Of course they are, they're from Alabama aren't they?

[Jobber of the Week 0]

I like how you automatically associate this with "bible belt" people.

 

Rednecks and retards did this.  If anyone knows what the Bible actually teaches they wouldn't have voted against removing it.

It's not because they read the bible, SP. It's probably more blamed on heritage. That's simply the name of the region that folks of this heritage come from.

 

If I said "bible thumpers", you'd have an arguement.

 

 

 

And KKK, it didn't pass

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

OMG BLACKS STILL CAN'T DRINK FROM WHITES-ONLY WATER FOUNTAINS -- DAMN YOU GEORGE W. BUSH FOR PUTTING GAY MARRIAGE ON THE BALLOT!!!

 

Funny story: The other day the better half finally came out of the closet at work and told her commie co-workers that she's a Bush fan. The day after the election, her boss came in in near tears saying how a bunch of uneducated toothless country bumpkins are now going to take her birth-control pills away. Of course this is the same woman who bitches about how people judge her based on stereotypes (she's Asian)...