And You Thought Sister Mary Ignatius Was Strict: Not Allowed to Vote In Indiana: The Nuns’ Story
May 7th, 2008 | 13 responses
Photo I.D.’s were required in order to vote in Indiana in the primary yesterday. A strict new law.
But what if you can’t easily get a photo I.D.?
What if you are a citizen, have lived an exemplary life, have stood up for the lives of others, have agreed not to be paid for your work lifelong, have agreed to wear funny clothes and interfere in society’s gears when justice to the soul is concerned…
and you can’t get a photo I.D. to assert your right to vote?
What if it’s because you’re 98 years old and your comrades, sister nuns who also were not allowed to vote in Indiana yesterday because they too didn’t have photo I.D.s…. don’t drive. Like many nuns. They don’t drive because they live where they work, and their work is unending. There’s no 9-5 amongst nuns. They don’t have a lot of time to find someone to drive them to wherever they might get some sort of photo I.D., they’d be leif to ask anyone to take time from their own work to do so,
and nuns, even the most elderly ones, haven’t the same courtesy of ‘step to the head of the line’ that we accord dignitaries.
12 nuns from St. Mary’s convent at South Bend (Sisters of the Holy Cross) were turned away from the polls, for not having the picture that said they were who they said they were.
Ironically, they were turned away by a sister nun who knew them, but regardless, and properly so, had no choice, as said sister was acting as a volunteer at the voting precinct.
The sisters turned away were in their 80s and 90s. Some brought their passports with requisite photo, but the passports were long expired. I don’t know about anyone else, but I just went through intense rigmarole to get my own passport reissued and I could have practically graduated with a degree in engineering for as long as it took the government to issue it.
Sister On Special Assignment as Voting Precinct Volunteer said the nuns “weren’t given provisional ballots because it would be impossible to get them to a motor vehicle branch and back in the 10-day time frame allotted by the law.” “You have to remember,” Sister McGuire said, “that some of these ladies don’t walk well. They’re in wheelchairs or on walkers or electric carts.”
I only have this to say: These nuns and others like them who are elderly and in many ways are naive about the world yet very sharp about the ‘other world,’ and yet have dedicated a lifetime to serving day in and day out, who have sacrificed so much, deserve to be treated far more decently than this. Far more.
And as for the photo I.D. law, I see the reasons behind it. But also,
there has to be reasoned application of such a law, so that when one casts huge nets meant to catch the common fish, they do not also catch dolphins… dolphins are mammals, not fish. Dolphins are disabled when stuck in nets underwater, not allowed to surface.
It makes no sense to deny the innocent their hard-won freedoms whilst trying to entrap the others.
Indiana, for your penance, that’ll be ten Our Fathers, twenty Hail Marys, and a passel of rosaries. And an apology to the sisters from the Governor would be nice, since Mitch Daniels (R) is the one who signed the law to begin with.
But then, nuns being nuns, they’d likely say, no apology needed. They’d rather just have the prayers… And the right to vote not made labyrinthine… et– in nomine Domine, hosanna, in excelsis, and in the name of God, with high praise.
———
CODA
from AP:
“Indiana’s photo ID law is the strictest in the country. The Republican-led effort was designed to combat ballot fraud, said supporters, who also have acknowledged that no case involving someone impersonating a voter at the polls has ever been prosecuted in Indiana.
“The state’s American Civil Liberties Union sued, calling the law a poll tax that disproportionately affected minorities and elderly voters, those most likely to lack such identification. On April 28, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that the law did not violate the Constitution.”
A Hoosier’s rights under the new law, include being able to cast a provisional ballot and obtain a proper ID within 10 days so that ballot would be counted later. But, in Indiana, as in many other states, the MVD takes far longer than 10 days to mail out the required key to the kingdom. So, no dice.
**Disclosure: The Sisters and Brothers of the Holy Cross, the group noted in this article, were traveler-teachers to a tiny school that gathered farmer-immigrant-merchant class kids from the boonies long ago. This order of priests, brothers and nuns taught me there, and at other proximate locations, for the better part of 12 years. Like many consecrated who live in other convents and seminaries across the world, they are some of the dearest, funniest, uncanny people you’ll ever meet.
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13 Responses to “And You Thought Sister Mary Ignatius Was Strict: Not Allowed to Vote In Indiana: The Nuns’ Story”
[...] wherever they might get some sort of photo ID, they??d be leif to ask anyone to take time from …http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/primaries/indiana/19436/and-you-thought-sister-mary-ignatius-wa…Intel ISEF 2008: Atlanta Hosts Global Science FairIntel ISEF 2008: Atlanta Hosts Global Science Fair [...]
from Dickens: the law is a ass”
In Indiana, there was a definite political agenda in passing the law. While I see the reasons justifying it as genuine, I also see the lack of measures to amelorate the burdens imposed, when necessary, as being punitive.
Disenfranchising some people should not be shrugged offf by states as it was by the Supreme Court.
I would say, though, the fact nuns were involved is a minor factor to me.
An elderly person of no relgious beliefs whatsoever would be equally affected and deserves equal sympathy.
dear runasim: Agreed, the sisters might be the poster kids for all elderly too. The elderly. Yes. Not enough voices there, not enough wise voices speaking…
I looked at the Supremes decision on the Indiana law just a bit ago. That this law reached the Supremes for adjudication, or not… a law based on no cases proven of voter fraud, may be a story all in itself runasim, about how 'getting issues before the high court actually works. So many, of seeming worth, have not been deigned to be heard by the Supremes.
It doesnt seem to me that the high court exactly decides whether a law is good or not, per se– was needed or not, was gerry-rigged or not, was a purely political carom shot or not. Just whether if conforms to or violates constitutional law. That's what it seems like often. But… it could be otherwise; I feel like civics ought continue throughout life. How can wwe watch the store, if we dont know what's inside the store? I say this because some have spoken of putting cameras in the Supremes' chambers. I can see pro and con, but if it were so, we'd all get to know a great deal more about inner workings than we do now.
The more government seems so overly Baroque sometimes, or Gothic, the more I'm a little convinced I've Martian origins. lol
dr.e
Despite the lip service by those who installed the most recent members of the Supreme Court paid to the importance of strict interpretation of the USC, non-activism, etc. their decisions for the most part have been predicatably partisan. I'm sure this doesn't come as any great surprise to anyone here – unfortunately my expectations for the SC are (in my naivete) that they would actually represent a separate and independent branch of govt. as envisioned by the founders. Silly me.
JSpencer,
Yes, a certain judicial and Constitutional philosophy comes with being appointed by certain presidents. I'm not surprised by the direction this SCOTUS has taken, but I am surprised by how far they've gone in a short time. Respecting precedent used to be a staple in inetpreting law, while this Court has specialized in overturning precedent after precedent.
If liberal judges had made such a drastic change in course, we would be hearing shouting about judicial activism. Since this court is conservative, we are to believe they are only doing the right thing.
I don't know how 'conservative' and 'drastic change' can be used together with a straight face, but there we have it.
I actually think conservative, as in slow change,, is good in law in many ways. If only we could get a conservative court that acts as if it were conservative, instead of being activist in implementing dramatic change.
Vote carefully for the next president , who will likely be nominating new mwmbers to the SCOTUS.
The disenfranchised nuns don't have much of a chnce in law.
I only hope states can do something to cushion the impact.
Runasim, yes indeed, there is a difference between folks who call themselves “conservatives” (these days), and actual traditional conservative values, which aren't even partisan at their core to begin with. My how times change. In any case, I believe the last thing we need in an already apathetic electorate is to throw up more hurdles in front of citizens who want to do their duty.
Dr. E, I can never read a story about nuns without being reminded of the time many years ago when one of my younger sisters was run off the road by a carload of nuns in Michigan. If it had been Halloween I would have had my doubts, or if it had been anyone else who related the story to me I wouldn't have believed them. They stopped long enough to see that she was ok, then went on their way without a word. Just one of those inexplicable happenings I guess. Makes for a good story though!
To my way of thinking the political compass has shifted so far to the right, it is difficult to say what ones political leanings are. Was Clinton a conservative liberal or progressive conservative? Today the conservatives are perplexed with the Neocons and liberals don't represent progressive ideology. And to get elected today the left wing has to embrace the center a bit more than the the right wing. Myself, as a progressive, views Clinton, his sexual escapades aside, as an embarrassment.
As for the plight of voting rights, the republicans slash and burn (Rovian) approach to getting elected (elsewhere it has been written that they have to do such things in order to get elected) which includes not only this law, but is related to vote counting, and the dismissal and hiring of federal prosecutors. To those who want to believe (and that's what it boils down to because the major news media has never investigated and declared what happened in Florida and Ohio) that Bush never won an election, We are simply told to move on. The bloggers, the underground press has reported that Bush either didn't win either state, or that their were certainly inexcusable shenanigans perpetrated but never prosecuted.
And yes, the performance of Alito and Roberts is disappointing, but not unexpected.
Maybe with a new administration coming in some of these laws can be better scrutinized and change. While their stated purpose may be laudable, their actual effect is chilling.
jspencer; that is a dear story. I wonder if they were learning to drive. I remember the first time I saw a nun in full veil and habit driving a car, I was like, man, can you see out of your headress ok??? lol
and runasim, you hit it square. Who will be appointing the new SC judges. If they had term limits it'd be one thing, but it's really almost 'til death do us part' for the Supremes. I saw hizhonor Scalia on tv. I think it'd be good to have a couple more women of the softness, funniness and acute smartness of Ginsberg (presently on) and O'Connor Ret.). Here's some of Judge Ginsberg's decisions. (Interesting) http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/author.php?g…
dr.e
“While their stated purpose may be laudable, their actual effect is chilling.” very apt dear spirasol, well put. So much 'unintended consequences' as though those in charge cant think, like 2 plus 2 equals… that kind of thinking. Simple trajectories. Im with you and others who hope for even incremental change that SHOWS and is EFFECTIVE, and remains so.
dr.e
This is a very upsetting story because it represents, in an unspoken way, in the space in between the facts of the story, a soulful loss or tear in the fabric of the Idea of Human Being.
As an outsider, looking at the U.S. presidential election from across the Atlantic ocean on the fringes of Europe, it appears to me that the essence of this story is not just about the obvious repercussions of this factual situation on the human rights for all people equally, but rather it is about the symbolic value of the human identity that the elections are either trying to preserve and/or make better. It speaks volumes to the rest of the world watching from the outside about the nature of the American-Human values propagated by the delegates and the constitution they are promising to uphold.
The elderly nuns, as Runasim pointed out are not the ‘issue’ since all voters should be treated equally, however I think they are the issue behind the issue, or the symbolic truth behind the words, in a way, they act within the story as a representation of the human soul of the modern world and can therefore be seen as a symbol of modern identity which has been dealt a blow on a number of levels.
1. The nuns act as a symbol of the sanctity of human being or the purity of the sacred space of being that seems to have been forgotten in this campaign amid all the aggressive attacks by the candidates on each other. The very notion of a super-delegate seems to be diametrically opposed to a retaining of any sense of individual sanctity; a way of being that is fundamentally respectful of oneself and of others. There is a sad irony in this respect to the respectful nuns (collectively by virtue of the nature of their vocation) being turned away from the iron-like-curtain system of voting for the super-delegates.
2. The nuns act as a symbol of a ‘dying tradition’ left by the wayside within this election. Although I agree with the Archangel, that they were turned away properly so by their sister since she was just doing her job, this symbolic demonstration of a lack of respect for elderly sanctity, within the language of American politics, feeds the very core of the subjectivity of the American speaking-Being. That is, it sends a message symbolically, almost subliminally, within language to those who hear it on the news etc, that the elderly do not deserve an equal say with the younger and more technologically-knowing population. Basically, the message I received from this piece of news, while understanding the necessity for the photo ID card, was that ‘if you can’t keep up with the times you are no longer part of the times’. In a way if you can’t vote, you no longer ‘exist’ symbolically within the polity and that hurts very deeply, in an unspoken way (which is generally typical of the gentle manner of nuns). It hurts deeply when you work hard every day for the collective community of the human soul and you are then sent away like second-class citizens because of an age-related inability or permissible disinclination to keep up with the times! Why weren’t measures taken to ensure this new procedure would be implemented to the benefit of all citizens equally? Why are the more vulnerable in society no longer a priority of any kind in modern politic?
3. The nuns act as a symbol of the holy image behind the image. The prominence of
the image is another issue in the U.S. presidential campaign that is deeply lacerating at the level of the human soul. There seems to be more concern for creating a human representation of an Ideal, creating a ‘perfect face’ for all to see, and ‘substantiating’ it with lots of money and celebrity endorsements rather than a focusing on the substance of the issues of Human Being. There are many, many, examples, but in relation to the nuns, the situation between Obama and Rev. Wright comes to mind: the divine face of religion being torn and scrapped at, and dragged through the ‘dirty mud’ of ideological language for all to see, in this manner, really has nothing to do with the true essence of religion, while the elderly nuns, being representative literally within language as religious symbols of our divine face, are being turned away from the voting polls. It is not hard to see the correlation; there is a lack of religious values. The divine face of human being has been replaced with a face for the cameras or media, not just by the candidates but also by the voters; for example in the case of Rev. Wright’s slanderous attempt to ‘get some of the camera/air time’. In all this we see in the face of the supposed leaders of society – political or religious – candidates and voters alike – a loss of elderly, wise-knowing or religious Wisdom. The nuns being turned away in Indiana because they did not have a photo-id (or an ego-representation of themselves), in the language I speak is symbolically a very valuable thing and a very difficult thing for a human soul to attain, but within the politics of the American value system propagated during this election season, it represents something quite Other: it represents within the language of politics the erasure of the human soul from its agenda. I turn on the news everyday and I am bombarded with attacks from all sides, negative criticism, and empty speech-performance: every time I look at these images on the surface of my television screen and delve into this new universal language, the holy, old, soul within me runs away and hides.
dear Embarr, you thoughts are truthful, and you, like the other commenters here, see the issues behind the issue. Seeing the radical underneath it all is what is too often missing in our public discourse. Sometimes I think that alone—missing the actual underlying issue—is what causes so much bandaging of what shows above ground rather than remedy for what is sick underground.
if I could pls just mention to you, this that you scribed here Embarr was not written by any 'holy, old, soul within'' that runs away and hides,' but that one who strides out front and says her piece clearly.
It IS true, something in us wants to run away and hide when coming upon so much MUCH. I feel it myself as a fatigue of the ages at /over what I see in the world, so much good in our world seems colonized instead by what is too brute and dim of mind …but/and if I might just offer as support to the spirit –it's not the soul that runs. It’s the soul that stays near. Even were one to try to drag the soul away, I believe it peeks out anyway, ever looking for what can be helped … in private life, in public life. Worldly, other-worldly. Both. All.
dr.e
Dear Archangel,
Thank you for your reply, your insight, and your kind words, which I now see as a ‘supplement’ to my own writing. I did end my post rather negatively, which, considering I was actually critiquing the purely negative language of modern political speech and commentary, actually, in effect, as the negative of language, serves to contribute to the further reality of that situation.
I agree: the underlying issue of this story is that public discourse in general predominantly misses the actual underlying issue being discussed, precisely, because of a lack of a (public) respect for and integration of, the deeper religious Wisdom within, the nature of the Human Being its language aims at. It is simply not enough, or not Good enough, to openly and publicly critique and expose ‘the badness or cruelty of the world’ through reasoned objective language (even for the good of the subjective soul) within the medium of public dialogue and modern journalism, on forums like these, without the inclusion of the Idea of Good: without offering a remedy or a (simple, personal, individual) positive fragment of a solution to the awful situations continually and openly being discussed. Without a collective genuine engagement with, and a collective effort to find, a deeper Good embedded within the insights this new form of ‘Being- through-speaking’, which modern journalism facilitates, and reveals mostly in the negative, we are also in effect helping to create a situation within language, of bringing only the negative of existence into the light of consciousness. In doing this in the negative of language only, in such an aggressive, almost unsanctioned or unprotected or ‘unedited’ way, we are in effect collectively creating for readers, who will become unconscious writers through their own subsequent outward behaviour, through a kind of ‘reign of terror’, the Idea of Human-reality as being only an existential wound, and thereby frightening the very human spirit that we seek to protect through our very writing itself.
I misrepresented my Self, and the Idea of the human spirit which you graciously sought to catch from such a downfall with your words. I was trying to express, graphically, the effect the new universal language of images has on the human soul. You are right, and it is important to note and remember, that the human soul does not run away, ever. It cannot hide because it is what we are. It is the eternal support of the spirit of the human speaking-being within language, from the outside of language. But it can be hurt and weakened or degraded if the spirit, which it carries, is not allowed to be seen or heard within the words and images that make-up language. If we do not try to support it linguistically through our own individual speech on a collective basis, through clear penetrating insight, ‘right speech’ of one-Self and others, – no matter how horrifically others may present themselves to the world -, which remembers the Good within all human beings that make up the collective Idea of the human soul within language, then we are in danger of losing consciousness, as a people, of the sacred relationship between the spirit and the soul within the Idea of the Self that we are supposedly ‘fighting’ for with the weapons of political rhetoric. And like the symbolic disenfranchised nuns of Indiana, we loose (the strength/power behind) our human-soul- voice.
Iris Murdoch, as a voice for the Idea of the Good within Human-Being, has written, in a way, outside our time, since it was written in the past and she has since past away into the memory of time while only her writing remains, a very encouraging remedy for ‘the fatigue of the ages’ that this ‘political’ situation may cause to descend upon us. She writes, in ‘Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals’, when speaking of entering the dark void and apparent non-meaning of extreme suffering, as we do when turning on the news or entering the vortex of the informational-internet, of a recognition of our collective identity and of an allowance of ‘religious experience’ within, that permits, for a ‘moment’ in time, a kind of ‘creative despair’ from which a new Idea of the Self may be birthed: whereby the ‘dead’ void may come ‘alive’ again on the battlefronts of human suffering through a remembering (in the Platonic sense) of the sovereignty of the Idea of the Good within us all. If we meet a stranger on the road (that is, on our journey through the language-path of life), why may he/she not be ‘me’ in another form, not matter how ‘ugly’? And if we can learn to show a fierce and guiding love in relation to the Other person, as one would to oneself, then as Paul Valery says, ‘an insuperable difficulty becomes a sun’, within the language of consciousness, for One-Self and for All: in doing so, in facing the darkness of public discourse with the eternal light of the Idea of the Good we learn something precious and valuable about the deeper nature of the Self, as One and All at the same time.
For now, we can do this by learning 'to see behind the issues' that accost us in the media, bringing the symbolic meaning of its language to consciousness, and treating its horrific connotations with as much love as we can muster, as if it was a symbol of ourselves in another time, in another, different, body.
[...] October 30th, 2008 By DR. CLARISSA PINKOLA ESTÉS, Assistant Editor, TMV Columnist Back in May 2008. I wrote on TMV about elderly Sisters of the Holy Cross (near U of Notre Dame) who were turned away from the polling place and not allowed to vote in the Indiana primary because they had no photo IDs. (This Order of the nuns taught me as a child in the rural outback, or tried to….) And You Thought Sister Mary Ignatius Was Strict: Not Allowed to Vote In Indiana: The Nuns’ Story [...]