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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWisconsin Veteran Irate At Voter ID Law: ‘What The F*ck Did I Go In For?’
Wisconsin Veteran Irate At Voter ID Law: What The F*ck Did I Go In For?
Eric Kleefeld February 22, 2012, 4:35 PM
Tuesday was the official launch of Wisconsins new Voter-I.D. law, with citizens now required to present a photo-identification card in order to cast a ballot in the primaries for local elections. And as it turns out, one man refused to vote, because he was so angry that his card from the Department of Veterans Affairs was not on the approved list.
As the Racine Journal Times reported, 69-year old veteran Gil Paar was shocked when poll workers told him his photo I.D. from the V.A. wasnt on the accepted list. They then asked him if he had a drivers license which he did but he instead refused to show it and left the precinct. Basically I was trying to make a point, Paar told the paper. I gave them four years of my life, why shouldnt I be able to use my vets card?
As the paper reports, the state election officials explain that the way the law was written, a military-related I.D. must be issued by a uniform service which does not include the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bottom line: For whatever the reason might be, whether intentional or an accident, V.A. cards were not included on the list.
Paar, who described himself to TPM as an Irish Catholic liberal Democrat who has donated to President Obama, told us that he too was very surprised at this development.
I said, lady, this doesnt make sense, said Paar, recounting his conversation with the poll worker who, he says, had to double-check this very matter before she could give him an answer. Its issued by the federal government, its the Veterans Administration. And she said, I know but we cant use it. She said, do you have a drivers license? I said, yes. She said, can you use it? And I said no I came with the intention of using my veterans I.D.
more...
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/wisconsin_veteran_irate_at_voter_id_law_what_the_fck_did_i_go_in_for.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
KansDem
(28,498 posts)LiberalFighter
(50,501 posts)KansDem
(28,498 posts)Like garlic to a vampire...
csziggy
(34,120 posts)WTF happened to "Support the Troops"? I guess those made in China magnetic signs were just posturing now that we have to actually provide the benefits the servicemen and women were promised for their time in uniform.
I'm against the wars and not particularly a strong proponent of spending money on military matters, but this country made a commitment to the people who served and we HAVE to honor that promise.
Denying a veteran his vote because his veteran ID is not good enough for the state politicians is the same as spitting in their faces.
AnotherMcIntosh
(11,064 posts)BOHICA12
(471 posts)...the bane of the retail word. "Where's my discount, I served, you owe me!" Selling their honor for a 10% discount.
mrmpa
(4,033 posts)BOHICA12
(471 posts)"Because I'm a Vet, your rules have to fit me. My VA card is plenty and you have to take it or else your questioning my service! You owe me!"
It is so much fun to see this entitle mentality when I grew up with men who had more time in a latrine than this Bozo had in the Military. Never once did I see them ask for anything to be bent to their way because they served (12 total years during WWII, 18-months WWI, 2 years Vietnam). The public owes me nothing for my service, so here let me show you my Driver's license and I will vote!
lunatica
(53,410 posts)I've never once met a vet who claimed anything you're saying. And I've sure never met a veteran who apparently hates other veterans so much. Do you always shut up and do as you're told when it comes to your Constitutional rights?
BOHICA12
(471 posts)Vet calls - just received his Store Credit Card Statement-
Vet: "I did get my Vet discount on my Statement" "The amount wasn't discounted 10%"
Store: "Sir, did you get a discount at Check-Out"
Vet: "Yeah, but I should get a discount on my bill!"
Store: "Sir, we only give a discount at point of purchase."
Vet: "I want to talk to a Manager!"
Also fun, "Hey, my VFW card should be good enough!" or "What do you mean it has to be a service related disability, I served you know!"
And yes, reasonable requests from Poll Workers are answered happily as I exercise my franchise.
dmr
(28,321 posts)He was making an excellent point. Why shouldn't his Military ID, issued by the VA, be enough to vote?
Or more importantly, why should he or anyone else all of a sudden need to show their 'papers'?
dionysus
(26,467 posts)MineralMan
(146,192 posts)Right wing garbage.
BOHICA12
(471 posts)come to the Florida West Coast - God's Waiting Room - Land of most entitled Vets you have ever experienced. Not Right Wing Garbage - Retail reality.
Chorophyll
(5,179 posts)But if you live in a state where they've begun asking for an ID (which is nothing but an attempt to disenfranchise the poor) your VA card should for damn sure be good enough.
And yes, the right to vote is something you were defending with your service, and I'm grateful to you whether you like it or not.
Snake Alchemist
(3,318 posts)Chorophyll
(5,179 posts)have passed laws requiring voters to show up with ID. This is used as a way to disenfranchise low-income or minority voters. For example, many states require a driver's license. Not everyone qualifies for a driver's license.
In any case, a VA card should be more than good enough.
Snake Alchemist
(3,318 posts)Finland
Voter registration in Finland is automatic and based on a national population register. Each citizen is assigned a register ID at birth which contains a six digit date of birth, a century marker, and four other characters to make the ID unique which are mostly random, but one of which also indicates the person's sex. Permanent residents appear in this register even if they are not citizens, but this information is marked on the register. People in the register are legally obliged to notify the register keeper of changes of address. Changing the address in the register automatically notifies all other public bodies (for example the tax district for local taxation and the social security authorities) and certain trusted private ones (e.g. banks and insurance companies) making the process of moving residence very simple. Close to election time a notification is mailed to registered persons informing them of the election and where and when to cast their votes. Only citizens may vote in national elections but all residents can vote in local elections.
Chorophyll
(5,179 posts)Finland doesn't have our unique history of racism, for one thing.
But here in New York I get a notification in the mail informing me of when the next election takes place and when and where I should vote. And I don't have to bring any ID. Maybe the rest of the country could emulate my state?
Snake Alchemist
(3,318 posts)Chorophyll
(5,179 posts)I just said NY State has a good system and I thought it would be nice if the rest of the country caught up.
Bother someone else now. Thanks.
Snake Alchemist
(3,318 posts)social safety nets is not something to be bothered by.
Chorophyll
(5,179 posts)Snake Alchemist
(3,318 posts)I lived in NY and am well aware of the system up there. What if you move and forget to tell them? What if someone else decides to vote in your place? There are many problems that a system like Finland's handles remarkably well.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)BOHICA12
(471 posts)Both Grandfathers & my Father were in Service prior to Pearl Harbor and After Hiroshima.
One Grandfather did trench time in France for the First World War and started the second with his ship (USS California) being sunk at Pearl Harbor.
It adds up.
HangOnKids
(4,291 posts)"One day of service is all it takes to get you killed. One day of service makes you a veteran." If this thread is any indication most people agree with my Dad.
dionysus
(26,467 posts)got root
(425 posts)you'd think
Earth_First
(14,910 posts)BOHICA12
(471 posts)stlsaxman
(9,236 posts)you did six years of service to this nation. surely you were compensated in some way.
i don't get it- you did it for the experience or the patriotism but none of the benefits?
BOHICA12
(471 posts)for the skills I brought to the table. Used 1 Semester to finish a degree on the Montgomery GI Bill - total less than my contribution during my 6 years.
The honor was in the service - not the 10% discount. And because I didn't need or seek a disability status - the People of the US owe me nothing.
.99center
(1,237 posts)I think we at the least owe him the right to vote. And I've been in retail and have never came across what you describe, I have how ever came across a lot of co-workers and management thinking they don't owe the customer that's providing their income shit.
Never saw that anywhere. the closest I've seen to that was a restaurant offering "Veteran's eat free" on Veteran's Day. In that case it was a business offering, not a vet demanding. And yes, I used my VA card for a free meal.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Not so much everything as you melodramatically and petulantly infer, but rather nothing more than a vote (which, as far as I'm aware, have no 10% discounts...)
I imagine that the ways we thank others for their services are as varied as the people who thank them-- although I do realize many people may be upset when that thanks takes the form of money...
AnotherMcIntosh
(11,064 posts)got root
(425 posts)however, Smedley didn't come to that considered conclusion until many years later.
sakabatou
(42,082 posts)WCGreen
(45,558 posts)Pro War, anti soldier....
madokie
(51,076 posts)I find as a veteran that most veterans, that I know anyway, are against war and will vote for the person who is most likely to not take us to war. Voter id is all about keeping as many dems from voting as they can.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,283 posts)As you say, you would vote. So would I. Why is that vet's skin so thin? He had legal ID in his wallet, in addition to his V.A. benefits ID card. So why walk away without voting?
malaise
(267,811 posts)To keep Amerikkkkka safe for the 1%.
Fawke Em
(11,366 posts)Rick Santorum wouldn't accept this (and, apparently, neither would at least one DUer who wrote a scathing nanny rant about how liberal shouldn't be Catholic).
BumRushDaShow
(127,303 posts)Sharpton is on the bully pulpit every show exposing these draconian voter-suppression. He has a Montgomery to Selma anniversary march for Voting Rights scheduled for March 4.
Snake Alchemist
(3,318 posts)Finland
Voter registration in Finland is automatic and based on a national population register. Each citizen is assigned a register ID at birth which contains a six digit date of birth, a century marker, and four other characters to make the ID unique which are mostly random, but one of which also indicates the person's sex. Permanent residents appear in this register even if they are not citizens, but this information is marked on the register. People in the register are legally obliged to notify the register keeper of changes of address. Changing the address in the register automatically notifies all other public bodies (for example the tax district for local taxation and the social security authorities) and certain trusted private ones (e.g. banks and insurance companies) making the process of moving residence very simple. Close to election time a notification is mailed to registered persons informing them of the election and where and when to cast their votes. Only citizens may vote in national elections but all residents can vote in local elections.
Zax2me
(2,515 posts)Just show your drivers license.
Good grief.
The last thing we need are liberal Democrats WALKING OUT without voting.
Great Caesars Ghost
(532 posts)He should've just shown his licence and vote. If this the start of a trend of protest, then things will be worse in Wisconsin.