If you are for Proposition 66, I have two posts for you to read. Both are by our friend and fellow Bear Flagger Cobb.

For what it’s worth, Cobb is a black man from Los Angeles. He is a conservative, but one clearly in tune with the fact that racism is alive and well in the country. His posts on 66 reflect a concern, which I believe has some validity, that Three Strikes has resulted in overly harsh life sentences for some non-violent people.

The first one is titled Yes On 66. In this post, Cobb sets forth his reasons for supporting Proposition 66. Those reasons are founded on misconceptions held by a large section of the voting public.

If you read the comments to that post, you’ll see Xrlq and myself attempting to set Cobb straight on these points. And guess what? Instead of keeping his mind closed (like most people would), Cobb listened to us, and did some more research.

And then he wrote the second post I want you to read, titled Swayed. It ends with these beautiful words:

NO ON 66

My thoughts on what this means are in the extended entry.

This story reminds me of a Simpsons episode in which citizens are considering whether to vote for “Proposition 24,” an anti-illegal-immigrant proposition clearly modeled on California’s Proposition 187.

The proposition is looking like it is headed for an easy victory. But then Homer learns that it could result in the deportation of Apu, the owner of the local Quickie Mart. Homer becomes outraged, and makes a passionate speech against the proposition. The crowd shouts in agreement, and you can feel the tide turning.

The next day, Homer watches as the TV announcer proclaims: “Proposition 24 has passed with a record 95% support!”

What I am trying to say is: I don’t think this means much. As I told Cobb in comments to the first post: “After all, if we can change just one person’s vote — well, we’re still totally screwed.”

But Cobb’s decision to change his mind does tell us something. It says to me that, if voters just knew the truth about Proposition 66, many would change their minds. So I think it’s still worth fighting during these last few days, even if victory seems elusive.

Expect several more posts on this issue throughout the weekend.

UPDATE: I shouldn’t have been so pessimistic. The latest poll shows the measure losing by one point!