Are Blacks Afraid Of Voting Machines?
by Kevin McCullough

Joanne Bland, the director and co-founder of the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, Alabama was quoted as saying, computerized voting machines would "terrify" African-American voters because they are "afraid of machines like that".

She was also quoted following a visit to Florida, "I got the hell out of there Saturday, and I would suggest you do, too. Until we get rid of those Bushes (President George W. Bush and his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush), we're going to have a problem in Florida," Bland said.

We finally convinced Ms. Bland to come on the air with us. To her credit, she categorically denied every quote in the story. Every quote except the ones she would not comment on, that is.

She also denied having any connection with the Institute for Public Accuracy. Any connection that is except for the fact that the Institute for Public Accuracy (a well known leftist "groupthinktank") had asked her to do interviews on their behalf.

This organization which she has "no connection to" does have her bio on its website as a spokeswoman for them. And in that bio are a couple of extended quotes about why she believes that disenfranchisement "could have occurred" in 2000, among black voters.

To her credit, during my interview she denied, or refused to comment on every item in the story.

I don't believe her, partly because of the nervousness in her voice as she answered my questions, partly because she refused to answer some questions, and partly because of what her quotes (had they been allowed to stand unchallenged) would have implied in the circles in which she runs.

There is no question that in some circles the line has been retold again and again that the President stole the election in 2000, and that it was the suppression of the black vote that caused him to win. Lies similar to the ones attributed to Bland were common practice in the days leading up to the 2000 vote and recount.

It just so happens that Chicago's own Jesse Jackson repeated the mantra just last week.The "Bushes are trying to steal the election by hurting black people" he said. It also "just so happened" to mark the re-ignition, by the Kerry campaign, of the debate on whether young black men will be drafted secretly after the election. CBS even repeated this in yet another example of disgraceful journalism but promptly got caught and spanked for it by internet bloggers.

Of the dozens of African American callers that flooded my NYC airwaves in response to Ms. Bland, not one was afraid of voting machines. It is long past time for the silly race baiting politics of the Democrats to come to an end.

Kevin McCullough is heard daily in New York City, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware on AM 570 WMCA and AM 970 WWDJ from 1-4pm. Adding stations in Chicago, Boston, and 16 more markets soon. Read KMC daily on his web-log at http://kmc.crosswalk.com.

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