Desiline Victor, a dedicated 102-year-old Obama supporter, has nabbed a special invitation to see President Obama’s State of the Union Address after becoming the face of voting delays at the polls.
Victor is one of the many Americans who took the polls around election time only to discover that the long lines still hadn’t become a thing of the past. Even heading to early voting polls wasn’t enough to avoid the ridiculously long lines, so Desiline did what many Americans actually decided not to do – just sit it out and wait.
After standing around for three hours waiting to cast her vote on Oct. 28 she was advised to simply come back later. While many voters took the suggestion to “come back later” as a cue to go home for good, the 102-year-old woman did return to the polls and faced the long lines for the second time in one day. Eventually, she finally accomplished what she had set out to do – cast a vote for President Barack Obama.
While she didn’t think of the gesture as a big deal, activists in support of voting reform turned her story into a campaign. According to the activists Americans shouldn’t have to wait in line for almost five hours and make several trips to the same poll just to cast their vote. In other words, nobody should have to do what Desiline Victor happily did for President Obama.
Well her perseverance has earned her a special seat at the President’s State of the Union address. Michelle Obama has invited the passionate voter to join her in the ornate House chamber during the President’s speech.
The Washington Post reported:
“On Monday night, Victor sat in a suite at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza hotel in Washington, a flight from Miami behind her. Ahead was a night in which she hopes meet the man she waited to vote for.
‘I’m very happy, very proud,’ she said, communicating through a translator because she speaks only Haitian Creole. The translator is her godson, Mathieu Pierre Louis, whom she raised as her son. She moved to the United States in 1989 and became a naturalized citizen in 2005.
She never expected to become a symbol, she said — she just wanted to vote.”
Hadiya Pendleton’s Parents Finally Find A Reason To Smile
The parents of Hadiya Pendleton (the Chicago teenage who was killed in cold blood and has thrown Chicago full force into the gun violence debate) have finally found a reason to smile again as police find and arrest the men who killed their daughter. In addition to moving towards closure, they will also be joining President Obama at the State of the Union Address where he is expected to touch on his plans for gun control.
Police have finally arrested the two men responsible for Pendleton’s senseless death, and it turns out that Hadiya’s death was a case of misidentification and revenge.
Pendleton and her friends were all well behaved students who had no involvement in gang activity, but when Michael Ward, 18, and Kenneth Williams, 20, spotted them huddled up seeking shelter from the rain they were thrown into the crossfire of gang violence.
The men told police that they believed one of the students was the member of a rival gang who had shot Williams back in July.
Atlanta Black Star writes:
“Ward allegedly confessed to police that it was a case of mistaken identity. He and Williams were charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.
Hadiya’s dad told the Chicago Tribune Monday night that news of the charges marked the first time since Hadiya’s killing that he had a “legitimate” smile on his face.
‘I’m ecstatic that they found the two guys,’ he told the Tribune.
According to McCarthy, Ward said he and Williams got out of their car, crept up on the group and opened fire, and Williams drove them away. McCarthy said Williams did not confess and police have not recovered a weapon. Both are due in bond court today.”
Other murderers are still on the loose, specifically ex-cop Christopher Dorner who was spotted out buying scuba gear just days before the murders. [TMZ]
The sighting forced the store to evacuate the building immediately. [ABC]
More violence is brewing over seas. North Korea is adamant on achieving nuclear status and you can’t stop them! [CBS]
Does this mean Obama’s 2012 State of the Union Proposals failed? What worked and what didn’t? [Washington Post]
What will the President have in store for the next four years? You can watch the 2013 State of the Union Address here. [Geek Sugar]
