November 11, 2005
A Spiritual Take on D.C. Voting Rights
Even Tibet's exiled spiritual leader and all-round lovable guy the Dalai Lama thinks the District's lack of voting rights is a little lame, according to our friends at DC Vote, who sent us an article including the following:
Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, took a rare swipe at the United States, saying he was puzzled why residents in the capital of the world's oldest democracy have no Congressional voting rights.First Europe, now the Dalai Lama. Who else is going to have to pipe up before reluctant members of Congress realize the idiocy of denying us voting rights? We hope Butterstick. No one could argue with a face that cute.The Tibetan leader said it was "quite strange" that people in Washington DC had no voting Representatives and no Senators, an issue that has dogged the United States for the last 200 years.
He said he wondered why a "small pocket" of people living in the world's "champion of democracy, liberty and freedom" lacked full voting rights and representation in Congress.
"Quite strange, quite strange," he remarked, drawing further laughter.
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With the current gang in charge of the country, I'd imagine the more furriners endorse the idea of DC voting rights, the less likely we are to get anything. Except of course that the likelihood was already zero before His Holiness waded in.
Wow, first the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the now Dalai Lama are in favor of DC voting rights...those facts and 50 cents will get us a bag of chips.
I mean no offense to the hard working folks who made all that happen - and it does generate some press on the voting rights issue - but what we really need is to make this an issue that soccer moms in Nebraska, blue collar workers in Michigan, and technology professionals in California know and care about.
It's pressure on elected officials OUTSIDE the beltway that will lead to real and lasting change on this issue.
I think we can learn a lesson from the progressive movement in our country here. They have organized online through a network of blogs to focus on specific Congressional races, mobilizing voters, and engaging in targeted grassroots actions.
Maybe we should promote DC voting rights as a key issue in this blogosphere. It's an effective way to get the word outside of DC - but still keep in the U.S.
Mike is 100% right. I am amazed that more Democratic activists and politicians don't make this a key issue. If DC had representation in Congress it would make the Democrats a lot more powerful in closely divided legislature.
Of course, KCinDC is right too, in that this is never going to happen under a right-wing Republican regime.
Nonetheless, now is the time for DC residents, regardless of political affiliation, to talk to those who DO have representation and make voting rights an issue.
The problem is how do we make people other than Democrats (who stand to gain from it) care about this issue?
JUST IN:
From the Commission on the Security & Cooperation in Europe's Human Dimensision Implementation Meeting final report:
The NGO being referred to is World Rights, which helped introduce & pass the amendment at this summer's OSCE Parliamentarian Assembly. The fact that this was mentioned in their final report says a lot about how voting rights for DC residents is integral to the mission of the OSCE and that the United States government is actually making a mockery of the OSCE by not following the rules every other country follows.
U.S. Senators & Representatives who are on the Commission on the Security & Cooperation in Europe (aka the United States Helsinki Commission) are:
-SENATE-
SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas, Chairman
GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon
SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia
RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
DAVID VITTER, Louisiana
CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut
RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, New York
-HOUSE-
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, Co-Chairman
FRANK R. WOLF, Virginia
JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania
ROBERT B. ADERHOLT, Alabama
MIKE PENCE, Indiana
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland
LOUISE MCINTOSH SLAUGHTER, New York
ALCEE L. HASTINGS, Florida (current president of the OSCEPA)
MIKE MCINTYRE, North Carolina
Why not drop them a line and ask what they are doing to give DC residents the same treatment as other Americans. Your tax dollars are spent on their participation, so why not call them out and demand they get off their duffs and do something!
Haha, Rees is a fuckin' nut.
Um, yeah, well... I have no opinions on the Cleveland Park Yahoo group, and I never even knew one existed, but...
On the subject of DC voting rights, though, hell yes. Stuff like this is great for getting attention, and we need to keep it up. But the rest of us need to join in as well, and make this a bigger issue in the blogosphere, and out of the district -- especially among average voters.
Hmm... maybe next we go after Dolly Parton? ;)
"Please... won't you give us democracy?"
I am amazed that only DC but not Guam, Puerto Rico or US Virgin Island have to pay federal taxes for not having viting rights.
Either the Feds should give us a vote or exempt the people of DC from all federal taxation asit does the others who don't have a vote.
In the words of the pro-smoking in bars crowd: it's not like you HAVE to live here. Move to Maryland if you want to vote.
DC1974 is right. Both our current administration and the Supreme Court have given legitimacy to his theory. Both branches of government have reinforced the concept that there are places in the nation where people can be denied voting rights wholesale. If the people of Miami-Dade County REALLY wanted to vote, they would just move somewhere else.
Pehaps DC1974 should have emphasized the further point that it's fine to ignore the voting rights of people you disagree with politically; especially when they are disproportionately poor minorities. Their votes don't count as much.
Maybe if we disenfrachise enough inner cities, we can establish a new Three-Fifths Compromise; three legitimate voters for every five black adult citizens.
is anyone else a little freaked out by this nutjob rees? does anyone have restraining orders out against him? if i were sam brooks or this adler guy, i'd be looking over my shoulder for this crazy fuck, you never know when mentally inbalanced people like that can just snap
Why is Jonathon Rees continually allowed to ruin what should otherwise be rational discussion amongst Blog users?
All your base belong to us.
ADIOS PENDEJOS
Is this a Neo-Nazi blog?
I expected this to turn into a conversation about what an asshole the Dali Lama is with liberals getting all upset since he's such a "hero" to them. Instead it turned into one about Rees, which is even better
Wasn't the Dalia Lama the star of that TV show Kung Fu?
Just an observation, but usually when people attack someone else like they have this "Rees" guy, it is usually the result of some hidden jealous stemming from some irrational line of reasonsing.
The more you attack this Rees guy, the more you lose any credibility that he is a bad person and makes some think that maybe he isn't and we should ignore the bad things said and look at the guy and judge for ourselves.
People, you are defeating yourself with these never ending attacks.
What is the real reason China fears the Dalai Lama?
People people people. Enough is enough of this bickering over Rees, Adler and Brooks. I figured out what is going on here as I looked at a book I had written by George Carlin and this bickering is not really over what it appears but one over who has a bigger dick.
To end this night on a good note, I saw a program on TV about women who sexually abused others which was designed to show that this behavior is not just limited to men which seems to be what we see in the media more often than not.
This program was focusing on female school teachers who had sex with their under aged male students which I think we all have seen a good bit of late.
I would suspect most of you guys reading DCist are wondering why weren't you so luck in high school to have such outstanding teachers giving you such a unique education! Lol
ugh. what a creep you are, Rees. That weird and completely inappropriate little "joke" only further convinces us. As if it weren't already obvious enough.
I like how the newest nom-de-rant has built-in appeal appeal to the Nordic community. Quite the strategist, our JR.
I am not the only man on this earth. Nordic. I can speak Swedish. Mitt namn ar Jonathan. Jag kommer from Ny York.
What I like most about DCist that it offers lively conversation for people suffering from dyslexia and erectile dysfunction.
anybody else see the llama at the neuroscience conference? he wasn't what i expected, but his statements near the end of his talk totally made up for that.
he said something along the lines of there are 2 fundamental human qualities, intelligence and emotion. religion is learned much later, not necessary for the development of a human being or the leading of a good life. it may merely enhance one's life.
additionally, he parallels scientists (reality-seekers) and buddhists (skeptics) in a shared search for "reality," a deeper and more complete understanding of our world and ourselves. finally another notable point was when he said that religious doctrine and tradition should change and adapt in light of new, concrete discoveries that may disprove them.
overall, though not what i expected, i found his speech to be encouraging (maybe not so much enlightening) as a secular scientist that maybe there isnt an irreconciliable divide between science and religion...at least...not all religions...thoughts, oh opinionated dcist readers?
There was a talking llama at the conference, neuroscientist? That does seem to be a significant breakthrough.
Wow, that devolved quickly. Can't imagine why DC doesn't have a vote in Congress...
You morons can't even talk about it on a blog without being distracted. Imagine being someone who doesn't even live in DC.
Yeah! Let DC Vote! Woo hoooo...ooohhh...something shiny...
What were we talking about again?
Yes, clearly any place where blog comments go off topic can't expect to have representation. How disgraceful!
Part of the logic why Congress does not give DC a vote is because DC is a transient city and it is not seen as a real city. Now that may sound dumb but some on the Hill think that way. Others argue that DC knew it would never have a vote so why are Washingtonians still trying to get one. The excuses are many
If voting rights would be based upon an intelligence level then DC should never get it because if so many people are so stupid to think that I posted most of what they think I did and did not have the intelligence to see it was somebody else then we should not trust ignorant people with the power of the vote.
If voting rights were based on intelligence, Bush would never have been elected, and a huge number of states in the middle of the country would be entirely deprived of the franchise
debt consolidation