A right-wing group in Houston engaged in a systematic voter suppression and intimidation effort used a doctored photo in its showcase video. Tellingly, a hand-lettered sign carried by an African-American woman at a 2000 Florida, Gore-Lieberman recount rally was changed from, "Don't Mess With Our Vote," to read, "I Only Got to Vote Once."
Huffington Post editors first suspected the photoshopping after I posted "Possible Arson and the Right's Texas Voter Suppression Effort" regarding King Street Patriots' attacks on a nonprofit voter registration effort and the mysterious fire that destroyed all of Harris County's (Houston) voting machines.
In my regular Sunday FireDogLake column, I posted a follow-up piece, "Contempt for Democracy: Attacks on Voting Rights," that included a link to DigitalDupes.org, which had launched an effort to locate the original photo. Within hours, Newshounds found it.
In addition, a Gore/Lieberman sign was altered to read, "I'm With Stupid." Here is the doctored video as presented in King Street Patriots' video, followed by the original photographs.



The King Street Patriots video has disappeared from their website (soon after the deception was revealed), but it remains on YouTube. UPDATE: Video still at King Street Patriots site affiliate, TrueTheVote.org. Here it is:
In the video, King Street leader Catherine Engelbrecht says their effort is all about the truth, that they just want true, fair, honest elections. But if they are so committed to the truth, why did they use doctored photos? Why did they lie?
Because their real intent -- as it has been for similar voter suppression efforts for decades -- is to create barriers between the ballot box and the voters. They want to suppress the vote of people they suspect of opposing their agenda. In this case, as in most, that means assaulting the voting rights of the poor and minorities.
Their pious and sanctimonious rhetoric works -- most of the time. Political journalists seldom get beyond the "he said/she said" accusations and counter-accusations in voting controversies. This deception, in a showcase video, puts the lie to King Street Patriots claims to the truth and destroys whatever credibility they might have had.
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This is not a surprise. Since the original photo is almost 10 years old, it was probably doctored years ago. I believe you owe this organization an apology. I will be writing the editor of your paper.
Boldly UN-AMERICAN tactics from the right wing squads.
I don't think we can trust Texas to properly investigate Republican crimes.
Blinded by their faith, too ignorant to think for themselves.
The voting machines were rigged, and even with that amount of extreme right intervention the Rep!gs only just scraped a victory over the lacklustre Kerry.
I don't doubt that the right had a massive vote rigging/intimidation assault in 2008, but the landslide against them was so huge the tactics failed.
I think the right is going to get even dirtier this time.
Right wing vote rigging was witnessed and proven in every election from 2000 onwards.
For any one of us to ignore the wrong doings of someone just because we share a political ideology is insane. Rush proclaimed that anyone caught using illegal drugs should be locked up and the key thrown away and then he is found in a parking lot obtaining illegal prescription drugs and the loyal base excused him. Fox is found out to alter footage to fit an agenda and yet the base stays loyal. Beck is making himself cry but so what. They speak of family values and then are found to be philanderers and the base stays loyal. They are found to be hypocrites time and again yet the base stays on script with the same talking points. As you see with this some are saying it ain't so bad and almost "When we do it it is different".
couldn't have said it better myself.
This lie is as old as the people making it up. And some are dumb and bigoted enough to continue to fall for it. Of course you won’t see these people in Ohio when Republicans and ken Blackwell stole an election.
BS, yes. However, it isn't voter suppression unless, I don't know, somebody's vote is suppressed.
Also, how is this connected with Mr. Smith's mysterious fire, that still isn't resolve?