A 90-Year-Old Iwo Jima Veteran Couldn't Vote in Sc

A 90-Year-Old Iwo Jima Veteran Couldn't Vote in Scott Walker's Wisconsin

Pat Healy ·
Reality Personality at Real Life

"Sir, before you can vote, I need to see your ID."
"Here's my VA card. Is that good enough?"
"It depends - are you a Democrat or Independent?"
"No, I'm a Republican."
"Here's your ballot, sir. Thank you for your service."

Barry Friedman ·
University of Tulsa
If only the vet had an NRA card.

http://politic365.com/.../nra-card-ok-but-not-student-id.../

A 90-Year-Old Iwo Jima Veteran Couldn't Vote in Scott Walker's Wisconsin


GETTY SCOTT OLSON

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BY CHARLES P. PIERCE
FEB 25, 2016

Life's tough and getting tougher out in that Midwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Wisconsin, where goggle-eyed homunculus Scott Walker remains the managing director.

Now, it seems casting your ballot in a state election has become harder than surviving the slog up Mount Suribachi was.

In her letter, Bradley said her uncle had fought at Iwo Jima, the bloody World War II battle that was immortalized in a photo of the U.S. flag being raised on the tiny Pacific island.

Tuesday marked the 71st anniversary of the 1945 flag raising. Bradley's uncle, Leo Olson of Reedsburg, tried to use his veterans ID card to vote in last week's primary for a seat on the state Supreme Court, but that form of identification can't be used under the state's voter ID law.

Olson does not have a driver's license. That could soon change because of legislation the state Senate is to take up next month. Even if approved, it may not be in place for the April 5 election, when voters will decide the state Supreme Court race and cast ballots in the presidential primaries. "He considers voting part of his patriotic duty," Bradley wrote to Walker.

"Yet, last week this proud patriot of 90 years of age was embarrassed and confused when he went to the polls and was denied his right to vote. Then he presented his veterans administration card with his picture on it, he was told that the card was not listed as 'acceptable' proof of his identity. He responded: 'You mean veterans can't vote?'"

I guarantee you that there are hundreds of examples of things like this out there. Veterans. Grandparents. Honor students. Cops. Nurses. Each one of them could be used to shame the people who are writing and passing voter-suppression laws all over the United States.

These examples could provide an endless stream of campaign commercials that would have the advantage of actually being true.

However, this would require competent, forward-thinking leadership at the Democratic National Committee which is, at the moment, being run by someone whose primary concentration apparently is ensuring herself good seats at the 2017 inauguration.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2...lots-cast/

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