Tea Klux Klan Already Trying To Intimidate POC Voters in Harris County

Early voting started yesterday in the Lone Star State, and the Tea Klux Klan and their Republican auxiliaries are already up to their election politricks.

Operatives reportedly paid by the Tea Party have swarmed minority early voting locations throughout Harris County, appointed as “poll watchers” by the local Republican Party and Republican candidates.

Once inside, they try any means necessary to disrupt voting and intimidate voters.  They attempt to block access to polling places and hover over voters trying to vote, even positioning themselves to watch the minority voters while they are casting ballots. They try to talk to voters and election workers and are confrontational and hostile.  

Their mission that they have freely accepted is to DISCOURAGE AND INTIMIDATE MINORITY VOTERS AND KEEP THEM FROM VOTING!

My question to the GOP-Tea Klux Klan is this.   If you are so certain that your GOTea Klux Klan candidates are going to win, why try to suppress the minority vote?    

You're doing it because you know that you not only AREN'T the majority of the American people, you are an Astroturfed corporate top-down movement that the people who aren't swayed by your Faux News propaganda arm reject.

Most of the conduct reported so far is clearly illegal.  But that's par for the course for Republicans and why they are so hated by POC voters.   These Tea Klux Klan poll watchers are not only enemies of democracy who don’t want people to vote, they are lawbreakers!

But don't just take Moni's word for it.   Here’s what the Texas Election Code says:

“A watcher may not be present at the voting station when a voter is preparing the voter’s ballot or is being assisted by a person of the voter’s choice.” Texas Election Code section 33.057(b)

“While on duty, a watcher may not converse with a voter or communicate in any manner with a voter regarding the election.” Texas Election Code section 33.058(a)(2).

The only conversation which can occur between an election officer and a poll watcher is “to call attention to an irregularity or violation of law.” Texas Election Code section 33.058(a)(1).

They are breaking these laws for one reason only – to try to intimidate minority voters into not voting.

Harris County Democratic Party chair Gerry Birnberg stated in a letter released today:

'We cannot let them get away with this.  We fought too hard for the right to vote to let a bunch of bigots and thugs take it away from us now. The best way to fight this effort to take away people’s voting is to VOTE! Show them it won’t work! Show them nobody is going to disrupt or intimidate or harass us into not voting!'

Chairman Birnberg's letter also gave tips on how to report the poll watchers and the shady electoral behavior.

If you witness any of this illegal activity at the polls, try to get the name of the “poll watcher” who engaged in it and if they’re too afraid to give it to you, record a physical description.

Then fill out an Election Incident Report Form or email headquarters (hcdp@hcdp.org) a complete description of what happened, and please include your name and telephone number so we can get in touch with you to ask more questions if we have to. If you don’t have access to email, call us at 713-802-0085, but our telephone lines are so busy right now, we’d really much prefer an email if you can do so.

It’s time to stand up to people who don’t want you to vote.

Damn right, Gerry..   Especially misguided low information thugs who want to take this country back to the 18th Century..

Good News, Bad News In Michigan GOP Secretary Of State Nomination Race

The Michigan GOP convention was held last weekend, and one of the items on the agenda was of major concern to trans Michiganders.

The delegates in attendance at the convention had to decide which one of five candidates would carry the Republican label in the Secretary of State race against Democratic nominee Jocelyn Benson.

The good news was that transphobic conservanegro state rep Paul Scott finished fourth out of the five remaining candidates for the Secretary of State nomination.

So what's the bad news? Ruth Johnson, the other transphobic candidate in the race is the Republican nominee.

Oh course, here's Kat Rose's ENDAblog take on this revolting development.

I've already vented on this issue, but I will add this comment to the mix.

I hope you trans peeps in Michigan are planning to bumrush the ballot boxes on November 2. Your ability to change your gender markers on your Michigan drivers licenses and ID depends on Jocelyn Benson winning that office.

Ho Hum, Ken Mehlman's Gay

We have news that another GOP Pink Elephant has come out of the closet in former Republican chair Ken Mehlman.

Ho hum. Dude, you were pegged as family a long time ago.

There was more than enough whispering and chatter in the GLBT community that gave hints and clues that he was flying the rainbow flag long before Bill Maher called Mehlman out as a pink elephant in his 2006 CNN Larry King interview.



But Mehlman's coming out has not been met with joy and rapture by his fellow travelers because of his role as GW Bush's 2004 campaign manager and later the head of the Republican National Committee from 2005-2007.

A party and a presidential campaign mind you that demonized his fellow GLBT citizens simply for political advantage. Mehlman enabled the major damage done to their lives and civil rights.

So yeah, while there may be a few people like the Log Cabin Republican and GOPProud sellouts immediately embracing him with open arms, there will be more than a few people in GL world giving him cross eyed looks and a lot of grief for a while.

And that's just the white GLBT people.

GLBT people of color definitely have no love for him for a long list of reasons. Does the 'Southern Strategy' the piss poor politicized 2005 Hurricane Katrina response from the Bush misadministration and Latin@ bashing on immigration issues ring a bell, Kenny boy?

I'm glad you've come out of the closet, Ken. But you have a lot to atone for.

Shut Up Fool! Awards-1.5 Million Hits Edition

Sometime today or tomorrow I will pass the 1.5 million hit milestone for TransGriot.

I can't thank you enough for stopping by my cyberhome, reading the posts, leaving comments, occasional change on the DONATE button, and reading and sharing with others what this Lone Star based blogger has had to say about a wide range of subjects for almost five years.

And granted, some months more than others I have a lot to write about.

But once again, without you peeps surfing by at regular intervals from around the world, I wouldn't be hitting these milestones on a regular and increasingly speedier pace.

So let's segue into our Friday Shut Up Fool! Award 'bidness'.

As usual, we had a bumper crop of fools on display. The Maine Teabaggers for their racist travel tips to DC in the runup to their civil wrongs rally tomorrow. Rush, Hannity, Beck, Palin, O'Reilly, and local Houston homobigot Dave Welch.

But our winner this week is 2009 Shut Up Fool! of the Year Michael Steele.

In a televised interview on the Spanish-language television network Univision, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said: "The actions of one state's governor is not a reflection of an entire country, nor is it a reflection of an entire political party."

Um, dude, y'all have been hatin' on Latinos since the 2006 election cycle. Several GOP state legislators, including state Rep. Debbie Riddle here in Texas want to replicate the SB 1070 style Juan Crow laws in their areas.

I'd need another full post to document the hateful and racist rhetoric coming out of the mouths of GOP peeps on this issue.

Michael Steele, shut the HELL up fool!

Another Michigan GOP Candidate Plays The Transphobia Card

The Michigan Republican convention will be happening on the Michigan State University campus August 29.

One of the issues to be decided at that event will be which one of the six candidates running to replace term limited Secretary of State Terri Land will become the party's nominee to run against Democratic party nominee Jocelyn Benson for the office

Trans Michiganders and their allies were already concerned because of one of the candidates in this race, half term conservanegro state legislator Paul Scott.

He promised in January that if he was elected secretary of state, he would deny transpeople the ability to change gender markers on their drivers licenses.

Now we have another candidate in a bid to match Scott, that is playing the transphobia card. The galling part is this candidate in 2002 received the endorsement of Triangle PAC, a pro-gay rights organization in Detroit.

Ruth Johnson issued a statement not only disavowing her 2002 endorsement by Triangle PAC, she also echoed Scott by stating, "No I do not support allowing people to change their gender on their license as a result of surgery or lifestyle.”

The reaction was swift from Alicia Skillman, the executive director of Equality Michigan. “It’s unfortunate that the conversation has come back to the issue of denying fairness to transgender residents in the state of Michigan,”

“We need to move forward, not take giant steps backwards regarding trans-equality. To refer to transgender individuals changing the sex on their driver’s licenses as “dishonest” is insulting and downright oppressive. Michigan needs to catch up to states that value difference. Michigan needs to keep the conversation moving toward fairness and equality for every person in the state.”

Julie Nemecek, who in 2007 made national headlines when she was fired from the conservative Christian Spring Arbor University for being trans, also blasted the move.

“To not allow a transgender person to change their gender marker on a driver’s license is to ignore the advice of the AMA (American Medical Association), APA (American Psychological Association), WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health), and other healthcare organizations that understand this medical condition. The US State Department allows changes on a passport even without surgery,”

A survey filled out by Johnson and released by homobigot Gary Glenn and his Campaign for Michigan Families, conclusively shows Johnson has no support for LGBT issues.

Not only does Johnson say she would oppose allowing transgender people to change their gender markers on state issued licenses, but that she opposes adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s civil rights law to prevent discrimination, opposes hate crimes legislation which includes the LGBT community and opposes allowing same-sex couples to adopt children. On top of that, Johnson says she would fight to keep the state’s constitutional amendment which prohibits marriage equality for same sex couples.

This is what you'll get trans Michganders, if she or heaven forbids, Paul Scott gets the GOP Secretary of State nomination and subsequently wins on November 2.

Trans Michiganders, if you don't like being used as a political football, stand up and do something about it. While we have no control over (unless you're a trans Republican attending the GOP convention) who gets the GOP nomination, we do have a major say over who will be taking the oath of office in January.

You can start by donating and working to ensure Jocelyn Benson has everything she needs to ensure she becomes Michigan's Secretary of State on November 2.

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Conservative

Time for a another song rewrite!

The GOP, the Tea Klux Klan and everything in the 'white' wing world of conservalunacy has been going off the deep end with their pathological hatred of the POTUS. So thought I'd give y'all a song rewrite with a country twang this time.

Yeeee Haaa! So put on those boots, jeans, ten gallon hat, and fire up those iPods as you sing to Moni's chicken fried remixed lyrics to this song dedicated to my favorite target, the conservafools.

Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up Conservative
Sung to the tune of 'Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys' by Waylon Jennings.



Conservatives ain't nice and they're hearts are stone cold.
Their racism and sexism is really getting old
Turn on Fox News
To begin a new day
Don't understand science, and claim they're Christian
Their hypocrisy will blow you away

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be conservative.
Don't let 'em watch Fox News cause Glenn Beck sucks.
Let 'em be liberal progressives not schmucks
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be conservative
Off the deep end they've gone quoting facts that are wrong
While cursing the POTUS they loathe

Conservatives do things that make you deplore them
Claim their protecting the children and people who are white
POC's they don't wanna know them and others they screw,
Sometimes you just wanna shake some sense into them.
They're wrong, they're ignorant and their base won't let them,
Do things for the country that are right

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be conservative.
Don't let 'em watch Fox News cause Glenn Beck sucks
Let 'em be liberal progressives not schmucks
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be conservative.
Off the deep end they've gone quoting facts that are wrong
While cursing at the POTUS they loathe

So, How's That 'Year Of The Black Republican' Thingy Working Out For Y'all?

The Republicans and their Black auxiliaries made a big deal about the 32 sellouts running for Congress this year in primaries across the nation.

They crowed about the fact that it was the most Black Republicans running since Reconstruction and that it was 'their year'.

Yeah, right. So far the Houston Astros have a higher winning percentage than y'all do.

The Mississippi primary last night was the latest one in which a high profile Negro Republican went down in flames. Oreo Barbie, oops, Faux News spokesmodel and Tea Klux Klan fave Angela McGlowan was running in the GOP primary in Mississippi's 1st Congressional District currently held by Travis Childers.

She was even endorsed by Caribou Barbie.

So where did Miss Right Wing Thing finish?

Third with 15% of the vote, behind the winner, MS state senator Alan Nunnelee. He captured 50% of the vote and Henry Ross garnered 33% of it.

So where was that groundswell of non racist Tea Party support, Angela? Probably voting for Nunnelee and Ross.

Princella Smith was walloped by a 73%-27% margin in the Arkansas GOP primary, and more butt kickings are coming.

Guess all you 'freethinking' Blacks are too uppity for the GOP plantation, huh?

32 Black Republicans Running For Congress-So What?

I mentioned in a previous post about Oreo Barbie running for Congress in Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, but she's just one of 32 Black Republican candidates running for congress this year,

That's the most Black Republicans running in any political cycle since Reconstruction, but what Notorious GOP, AKA Michael Steele and the conservamedia won't tell you is that this ain't your great-grandfather's Republican party.

The last Black GOP congressmember was J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, who left Congress in 2003. It will be interesting to see if any of this current bunch even makes it out of their various GOP primaries to Capitol Hill.

Black conservatives such as GOP Chair Michael Steele have consistently been concrete examples of Zora Neale Hurston's admonition of 'all my skinfolk ain't my kinfolk'.

Some of the 32 people include longtime sellouts like Star Parker, who is running in CA-37, a diverse Long Beach, CA area district with a large African-American majority currently represented by Democrat Laura Richardson.

Others are running in majority white suburban districts from Arizona to Florida.

I'll be willing to state for the record that none of them will be taking the oath of office in January 2011. We've heard this broken record meme before about conservatism sweeping the Black community as a political philosophy combined with double digit numbers of GOP Black peeps rushing to run for office.

Then they get all this conservamedia hype and attention, but all it translates into is getting an electoral beat down either in the GOP primary or in the general election.

Black Republican candidates face a double edged hurdle to climb. They may try to discount their Blackness, but it's a fact of American political life that race plays a major role in party identification.

In many cases they sound like chocolate covered sycophants regurgitating the same failed conservapolicies that the Black community already rejects, or say stuff during their campaigns that alienates them even more from the African American community.

They're not going to get much white support in the GOP no matter how 'more conservative than thou' they sound.

Because they espouse ideas similar to the garden variety white conservatives we African-Americans despise, we ain't voting for them either. It's just a matter of time before those with a Black consciousness wake up and realize they're banging their heads against a dead elephant and eventually leave.

And as I've said before, while I know it would be desirable to have more African descended people involved in both parties, what's the point if Black GOP peeps are going to mimic the oppressors behavior?

Readers Are Leaders-Except In The GOP

As educator Marva Collins said, "readers are leaders'.

Too bad we have an entire political party and a political movement that doesn't and is defiantly proud of displaying its stupidity every chance they get.

When the front running presidential candidate of the GOP can't tell you in an interview what books, newspapers, or magazines she's read, that's scary.

One of the things that is a hallmark of the modern conservative movement is it's hatred of public education and anyone with an education.

Maybe it's because studies have shown that the more educated a person is, the less likely he or she will be to vote for conservatives, much less be one.

So it's not a surprise that conservatives hate public education. It's not only the great equalizer in terms of upward mobility in American or any society, it's the glue that holds our democracy together.

An educated citizenry can't be propagandized or told lies as easily provided the media does its job and gives us the required info for making the hard solid decisions we need to make for the benefit of the country.

The anti-intellectual attitude coming from the GOP is not only shortsighted, but dangerous to the long term stability of our nation.

Why I Can't Stand The NRA-Part II

I don't call the National Rifle Association the 'Neocon Racist Assciation' or other less flattering names for nothing. But at the same time, I admire their ability to 'scurr' congresscritters into backing off on or efficiently killing any gun legislation they don't like

While I don't have a problem with people exercising their Second Amendment rights to own guns, I draw the line at assault rifles that only have the purpose of killing mass quantities of human beings in a short amount of time.

I also don't see the harm in requiring background checks and short waiting periods for people that wish to purchase guns o ensure they are mentally stable enough to do so or aren't convicted felons.

But you can count on the NRA gun fetishists to do something extremist and racist in their zeal to pimp for the firearms industry, scare 'real Americans' and put more guns in their hands.

Another exhibit of their racism just happened the other day in relation to the District of Columbia's long time efforts to get a voting representative in Congress.

The District of Columbia has not had representation in Congress since it was established in 1801. At the time of its creation, leaders were concerned that the nation's capital not be located in any one state.

DC residents can vote in presidential elections, serve in the military, and pay taxes but don't get the opportunity to vote for a congressional representative to help determine how those dollars are spent.


In 1978 a constitutional amendment was passed by Congress that would have granted the city a House vote, but it died because was not ratified by a sufficient number of states in the allotted time.

If the District of Columbia were majority white, the Republican Party, the conservative movement and Fox News long ago would have been championing the cause of DC voting rights and screaming bloody murder about the 'unfair and unconstitutional' disenfranchisement of large numbers of 'Real Americans.' But since it's majority African-American, they don't care.

To add insult to injury, the NRA and their GOP acolytes couldn't resist whipping out their white privilege card and using this an an opportunity to jack with DC's strict gun laws.

As a condition for DC getting what it wanted in terms of federal representation, Republican lawmakers attached amendments to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton's bill designed to weaken those gun laws.

"We just had nine kids shot by an assault rifle in our city," said D.C. councilmember at large Phil Mendelson, speaking about a recent drive-by shooting in Southeast D.C. that left four dead and several wounded. "Under the gun amendment, weapons like the AK-47 would be legal… That's unacceptable."

Several members of the DC City council in addition to Del. Norton were not happy about the games played with the DC Voting rights bill

"We should not trade a piece of democracy for a piece of democracy," said council member Michael A. Brown, who chairs DC's committee on statehood and self-determination. "It was a bad deal for the residents of the District of Columbia," he said of the bill's gun control provisions.

As always, the struggle continues.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) suggested that unrelated issues such as gun rights — are once again holding up an agreement to bring the D.C. voting bill to the floor. Hoyer had originally hoped to bring the bill to the floor this week, but now believes the legislation may be done for the year.

Hoyer said he's "profoundly disappointed" that the legislation will not be brought up, but said the bill should be about voting rights, not local D.C. crime issues or adding a House seat for Utah. Both these issues have held up D.C. voting rights in the past.

Delegate Norton said, "We have begun to develop new strategies to get a voting rights bill through Congress that can pass. "I am full of promising ideas about how to move forward not only on voting rights but on every right D.C. residents are entitled to as American citizens."

This despicable political drama adds another layer to the negativity that many African Americans feel towards the NRA and ossifies the impression in our community that they are a racist organization.

And it's another reason why I can't stand the NRA.