Pirate's Cove

Yeah, too bad they have no legal jurisdiction over the United States, but, it makes for nice theater

(Fox News) The controversy over requiring voters to provide photo IDs has reached the world stage.

The United Nations Human Rights Council is investigating the issue of American election laws at its gathering on minority rights in Geneva, Switzerland.. This, despite the fact that some members of the council have only in the past several years allowed women to vote, and one member, Saudi Arabia, still bars women from the voting booth completely.

Officials from the NAACP are presenting their case against U.S. voter ID laws, arguing to the international diplomats that the requirements disenfranchise voters and suppress the minority vote.

So, the NAACP is arguing that Blacks aren’t capable of paying a low cost to get an ID card? That they aren’t smart enough to pass a drivers license test, and acquire a DL? Kinda, well, can’t be racist against ones own race, but, perhaps it violates Hate Crimes laws.

“This really is a tactic that undercuts the growth of your democracy,” said Hillary Shelton, the NAACP’s senior vice president for advocacy, about voter photo ID requirements.

In a Fox News interview prior to his trip, Shelton said the message from the NAACP delegation to the Human Rights Council is that the photo ID law “undercuts the integrity of our government, if you allow it to happen. It’s trickery, it’s a sleight-of-hand. We’re seeing it happen here and we don’t want it to happen to you, and we are utilizing the U.N. as a tool to make sure that we are able to share that with those countries all over the world.”

The United Nations has no legal jurisdiction over the American electoral system, which Shelton acknowledges. Asked whether he thinks that the U.N. should be involved in domestic American laws, he answered, “No, not specifically. The U.N. should certainly be involved in sharing a best practice for the world.”

Well, then, perhaps it undercuts our democracy and the integrity of government by requiring ID to drive, visit the White House, take an unnecessary fossil fueled flight…..hey, I bet Shelton was required to show his ID multiple times at the departure airport, and show his ID and passport at the Geneva airport upon arrival. Oh, and show his ID at the UN Headquarters in Geneva. Yes, that’s right, when visiting all UN headquarters, one needs to show an ID when passing through screening

One needs an ID card to visit all UN locations for tours, and to carry a special ID when visiting other than as a tourist.

The NAACP had scheduled two American citizens to present their claims at the U.N. panel who, the group says, worry they will be disenfranchised by the requirement to present a photo ID to vote. The civil rights group says one, Kemba Smith Pradia, was convicted of a drug-related offense and is concerned that if she moves back to Virginia from the Midwest, state law will block her voting because of her record, even though she was granted clemency by President Bill Clinton.

A second American, Austin Alex, is a Texas Christian University student. The NAACP says he is worried that he will be barred from voting because he only holds an out-of-state driver’s license and a non-government student ID, not a Texas issued photo ID.

As to the first, not enough info was given to discuss, but, being a convicted felon given clemency doesn’t seem to have anything to do with voter ID. For the second, well, if he isn’t a Texas resident, he shouldn’t be voting in Texas. While attending East Carolina U. in North Carolina, I cast absentee ballots, because I was an NJ resident in 1986 and 1988. Democrats want college kids to vote in multiple districts, preferablly for Democrats.

As a sidebar, I would like to caution about over-reaction here. Words matter, and this isn’t quite an investigation, it is a hearing by a body which includes such human rights bastions as Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and China.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.