<|endoftext|>.
Then, after the 15th Amendment granted black men the right to vote in 1870, y��all down in Texas got real creative – not only implementing poll taxes and other Jim Crow voting tactics, but also creating the White Primary, which barred black voters from casting primary votes.
In 1917, your state banned interpreters for Spanish speaking voters at the Texas polls. And in 1962, residents in Houston��s minority communities received false warnings they might be arrested at the polls if they had outstanding parking tickets – and Latinos in Rio Grande got letters saying it would be better to stay home rather than risk arrest.
Your state��s history is relevant, Senator Cornyn, because it is a long and shameful litany of tools to abuse, coerce, and disenfranchise non-white voters in your state. For the past 50 years, the pre-clearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act has limited your state��s ability to continue that history – though some abuses did continue.
Like in Waller County, where strict voting registration rules allowed county officials to reject voter applications, mostly from students at the historically black Prairie View A&M University. And Texas was second only to Mississippi between 1982 and 2006 in the number of Justice Department objections under the VRA��s Section 5. And it seems Texas couldn��t wait to get back to even more aggressive efforts, because when the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act last June, it took just hours for Attorney General Greg Abbott to announce that Texas would move forward with its voter-ID law.
A law that not only affects voters of color, but also disproportionately affects Texas women – including state Senator Wendy Davis! In the most recent election she had to sign an affidavit before casting her ballot because her voting record didn��t include her middle name.
So Senator Cornyn, I hope these reminders help you understand why Texas should fall under any new formula for pre-clearance. It��s really not about discriminating against Texas. It is about Texas�� history of discriminating against its own voters.
Sincerely,
Melissa<|endoftext|>Bungling drug smugglers set £50million of hash on fire and jumped overboard after being caught by coastguard in the Mediterranean
Freighter was 'buzzed' by a helicopter from the Italian coastguard
Ship was Tanzania-registered, with nine people on board jumping into sea
30 tonnes of hash had been loaded on in Turkey
This is the dramatic moment when drug smugglers set fire to a ship carrying more than £50 million worth of hashish after being spotted by customs officials.
Thick, dense plumes of smoke quickly billowed from the bridge of the Gold Star freighter just minutes after it was 'buzzed' by a helicopter from the Italian coastguard.
The nine people on board the Tanzanian registered ship then jumped overboard as they attempted to avoid being arrested but they were miles out to sea and had to be plucked to safety.
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Up in flames: The Tanzanian-registered cargo ship MV Gold Star is seen with its bridge in flames
Night vision: An Armed Forces of Malta vessel (right) battles the fire
Italian customs officials intercepted the Gold Star as it sailed off the coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean following a tip off that it was carrying a huge consignment of drugs and she had been followed for several days before the operation was launched.
Besides a helicopter several fast patrol boats were used in the 'raid' and a search of the ship's hold revealed a massive consignment of drugs, 30 tons of hashish which had been loaded on board in Turkey.
Italian officials said the crew were Syrian and Egyptians and before they could board the 82 metre 38-year-old ship they had to obtain permission from Tanzania where it was registered.
Firefighting boats had to be called in to put out the flames and the ship was today being towed to the Sicilian port of Syracuse where the arrested men were also being held before being questioned.
Black cloud: Smugglers decided to set their drug haul on fire, which was evidently noticeable to customs officials
No way out: Customs officials pull up alongside the burning vessel as the game is up
Costly: There was thought to be £50million worth of hash on the boat
Stricken: The smugglers jumped overboard after deciding to set their loot on fire
A spokesman for Italian Customs said: 'The ship was intercepted after intelligence was received that it was carrying drugs - but we never expected such a huge consignment and for the crew to set her on fire.
'The idea was no doubt to try and destroy the evidence so that we could have no case against them but their plan failed and the fire was put out and the drugs were found during the search.
'Nine people on board jumped into the sea but they