John Oliver Takes On Racist Laws That Deny Voting Rights For Millions (VIDEO)

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“Last Week: Tonight” host John Oliver reached deep into the historical record on Sunday to expose how millions of Americans living in the U.S. territories are denied voting rights.

Oliver pointed out that citizens living in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Marianas, and American Samoa do not get to vote for President or enjoy standard representation in Congress.

He called it “the kind of unsettling fact that deep down you probably knew, but chose not to think about.”

“Like the fact that the dog from ‘Full House’ is definitely dead by now,” he said as the audience moaned. “You’re proving my point,” he said to them.

Getting serious, Oliver pointed out that over 4 million people live in the U.S. territories, an overwhelming majority of them minorities.

But since the U.S. acquired the territories, it has denied the populations voting rights. Oliver showed that the arrangement was long ago justified by a ruling by the Supreme Court.

In a decision in the early 20th century, the Court ruled that “alien races” could not understand “Anglo-Saxon principles” and would not enjoy certain rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

What’s more, Oliver said that these exceptions to the Constitution were only supposed to apply temporarily.

“It’s like for over a century, America’s computer is saying, ‘an update to your country is available,’ and we’ve been clicking ‘remind me later’ again and again and again,” the host said.

Watch the clip, courtesy of HBO:

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Notable Replies

  1. I’ve always believed that it was time to put an end to the US having territories…each territory should have in 2020 a vote- either independent nationhood or incorporation into the US fully. The same goes for Washington DC.

    I know why the GOP is reluctant to do this, but honestly, it really is time for the Democrats to tell the Republicans to either live up to the rhetoric they spew and the US tries to use on the world or admit that they’re a bunch of racists who want world conquest.

  2. the arrangement was long ago justified by a ruling by the Supreme Court.

    The lightweights who just said racism no longer exists in America when they trashed the Voting Rights Act?

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