[P1] truth in advertising...still OT

[Gary Adams]

Trent Lott never voted to deny blacks the right to vote in 1983. That's 
the kind of absurd statement that provokes these kinds of imbroglios. 
Lott voted against the extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1982 and 
he voted against a national MLK holiday in 1983.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was amended several times, the 
last being in 1983, mandated, among other things, removal of poll 
taxes, literacy tests (which might have precluded the 2000 Florida 
fiasco) and mandated federal registration of voters in some 
jurisdictions.

Is Lott a racist? I don't know. I do know that Strom Thurmond and Trent 
Lott were Democrats who "became" Republicans. Thurmond was a DixieCrat, 
not a DixieCan, and he went back to the Democrat Party after his failed 
bid in 1948. Lott was originally a Democrat, too, who "became" a 
Republican.  Personally, I think Lott had states' rights foremost in 
his mind, and he likely didn't consider the racist implications that 
have been drawn.

;-)
Gary

>
> Anyone who thinks it was just "a statement meant to lift up someone at 
> their milestone birthday party" will have to come up with another 
> explanation now that it's been revealed that Lott said the exact same 
> thing on at least two other occasions over the past 20 years (and no, 
> they weren't Thurmond's 90th and 80th birthday parties!).
>
> But now he's reversed himself? Now he supports affirmative action 
> after voting against it every chance he's had? Now he supports an MLK 
> birthday holiday after voting against it? Now he "regrets" voting to 
> deny blacks the right to vote in 1983?
>
> Yeah, right.
>
> _Chas_