Anyone can be a president

Just heard on ESPN's excellent mini-series, Black Magic, about the history and importance of basketball in the African-American community, this quote regarding leaders of historically black colleges and universities:

"I don't call them 'presidents.' I call them 'gatekeepers.' Idi Amin was a president. Bush is a president. Anyone can be a president.

Good point. Better comparison.

Felons' rights restored in Florida

Gov. Charlie Crist (R-Fla.) is proving himself very, very different from his predecessor, Jeb! "Puppy Eater" Bush.

Today he and the Cabinet, sitting as the Board of Executive Clemency, voted to restore civil rights, including voting rights, to non-violent felons who have served their sentences. The only dissenting vote was cast by that notorious fascist Florida's ultra-wingnut attorney general, Bill McCollum.

Under the new rule, which was urged on the Cabinet by Crist, felons convicted of non-violent crimes will be allowed to vote, hold public office, apply for occupational licenses and sit on juries without navigating the clemency system, a cumbersome process that can take up to four years or longer.

It is unclear how many Floridians will be affected by the change, but Crist's office estimated that up to 515,00 [sic] could have their civil rights restored within a few months.

Crist took umbrage at McCollum's accusation that the change will allow "dastardly" criminals to have the right to make laws by voting and gain access to people's homes by getting licensed for jobs such as exterminators.

"I believe in appropriate punishment. I'm Chain Gang Charlie," said Crist, as McCollum shook his head. "I believe in justice. But punishment should never be confused with revenge. We should be able to find it in our hearts to forgive. Our Creator does."

Well, I'm not thrilled with the last couple of sentences in Crist's statement, but the message is clear and appropriate: people who have paid their debt to society, so long as they aren't violent, ought to be able to participate in society as a productive citizen, with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereto.

Let's not obscure McCollum's real motivation here. He's not tough on crime. No way. Rather, he knows that 515,000 potential new voters likely means more Democratic voters than Republican ones, at least if you generalize based on the probable socioeconomic and ethnic status of the felons. McCollum doesn't brush his teeth without having some kind of political motive or some way to advance the wingnut cause.

So bravo to Gov. Crist and the other Cabinet members for doing the responsible thing. No, "Chain Gang Charlie" certainly isn't perfect, and of course I'd rather have Jim Davis as governor. But after eight years under Jeb!'s doctrinaire (and often stupid) leadership, the new administration is a breath of fresh air here in America's Wang™.

UPDATE (5:46 pm 4/5/07): Vox Populi has more insight on this at Tampa's Back Door Ways.