Why Are We Back In Iraq?

I'm very, very pleased to announce that David Cobb of the Green Party and Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party have filed for a recount of the presidential ballots cast in New Mexico and Nevada (VoteCobb.org). If you can afford to contribute money to this effort, please do so.

In 2000, Vice President Al Gore won New Mexico by just 366 votes; it took nearly a month for New Mexico to finish counting the votes. In 2004, the wait wasn't quite as long; last week the state's official tally showed Bush beating Senator John Kerry by 5,988 votes. The delays are largely due to the large number of provisional ballots cast, and the manner in which they were counted (or not).

The unofficial (until they are audited) general election results listed on the Secretary of State's website (Sos.NM) show that 776,010 people voted in the election. Bush received 376,958 votes; Kerry got 370,930; and the third party candidates - Cobb, Peroutka, Badnarik and Nader - received a total of 8416 votes). What happened to the other 19,706 votes?

In 1996, 556,074 voters turned out for the presidential election (Clinton/Gore was declared the winner). In 2000, that number improved to 598,605. In 2004, the number skyrocketed to 756,304. Over four years that computes to an increase of just over 26%. Over eight years the increase is an astounding 36%.

On November 6, Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron announced that there were 1,051,536 registered voters in the state (New Mexico's total population stands at 1,515,069), but that didn't include many newly registered voters whose registration forms weren't processed yet. "Among all New Mexico registered voters — including the old and new registrants — 51 percent are Democrats. Thirty-two percent are Republicans, and 14 percent chose no party." (ABQJournal.com).

As Greg Palast wrote in his November 4th article (Kerry Won), Republican elections officials were in control of areas that heavily populated by Hispanics and Native Americans: "Chaves County, in the "Little Texas" area of New Mexico, has a 44 percent Hispanic population, plus African Americans and Native Americans, yet George Bush "won" there 68 percent to 31 percent. I spoke with Chaves' Republican county clerk before the election, and he told me that this huge spoilage rate among Hispanics simply indicated that such people simply can't make up their minds on the choice of candidate for president."

Some conservative bloggers have criticized Mr. Palast for ignoring the fact that Bush also won by a wide margin in 2000. But, of course, that election should contain an asterisk, as well. So far, I haven't been able to find any Chaves County results for any prior elections in order to compare, but I'm still searching (I've read elsewhere that Bush won by a little bit over 5,000 votes over Dukakis in 1988, but I can't confirm that figure). Also, to be fair, Mr. Palast neglected to mention that Roswell in Chaves County is the heart of New Mexico oil country and that "royalties on oil production in Chaves County generate about $500 million in annual revenue for the State of New Mexico." (Roswell-online.com).

George Bush received 11,376 votes to Al Gore's 6,337 in the 2000 election (18,143 including the third party candidates). (Roswell-usa.com). In 2004 Chaves County, New Mexico recorded 14773 votes for Bush (68.1%)and 6726 votes for Kerry (31.0%) (including the third party candidates). (SOS.NM). This amounts to a vote increase of 19.6% for 2004. This is below the state rate of 26%, but the margin of victory of Bush over Gore compared to Bush over Kerry rose four percentage points, which is considerably more than it did for the entire state (.8%).

Four months ago, Chaves County Clerk David Kunko, a Republican, decided that he didn't agree with the Secretary of State's interpretation of a 2003 state law that requires some first-time voters to show identification at the polls: "If (a voter registration) form is not submitted in person by the applicant and the applicant is registering for the first time in New Mexico, the applicant must submit with the form a copy of a current and valid photo identification, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows the name and address of the applicant; and if the applicant does not submit the required identification, he will be required to do so when he votes in person or absentee." (ABQtrib.com).

While Mr. Kunko interpreted "in person" as meaning directly to the county clerk's office, Secretary of State Vigil-Giron argued that it meant anyone not registering by mail, including those who register in front of a person at a DMV, welfare office or mall. Initially, a Democratic judge in Bernalillo County ruled against Mr. Kunko's broad interpretation, but a couple of Republican judges in Chaves and Otero County took his side. Finally, the New Mexico Supreme Court concurred with the Secretary of State's opinion in a 4-1 decision - just five days before the start of absentee ballot voting - ruling that the legislature "intended to require identification only for first-time registrants who register by mail." (WashingtonTimes).

On September 23rd of 2003, a special election took place in New Mexico that involved a proposed constitutional amendment to boost the annual distribution from the Permanent School Fund to five percent to help fund education reform in public schools. The next day, the initial election results showed that it was defeated by only 23 votes. But there were problems with the count: In Chaves County, officials added the results of more than 400 votes from a voting machine used to read absentee ballots Wednesday morning after discovering they had left out those results from a vote tally Tuesday. Chaves County Clerk Dave Kunko described the mistake as a "human error." (ABQjournal). The amendment ended up passing by 195 votes; Chaves County recorded 1925 votes for it and 4084 against. (Sos.state.nm.us).

Out of 12,000 provisional and in-lieu-of paper ballots cast in Bernalillo County, nearly half were rejected; most because the prospective voter wasn't registered to vote anywhere in the county, but hundreds of provisional ballots were rejected due to minor discrepancies: "A Democratic attorney and an election volunteer for the party said workers disqualified hundreds of provisional ballots cast in Bernalillo County because of names that had a missing middle initial or some other minor discrepancy. They urged commissioners to reconsider the rejection of those ballots, if they could. The commissioners, however, said they didn't have authority to question the qualification of provisional ballots. They voted 3-0 in favor of certifying the Nov. 2 election results, which were sent to the Secretary of State's Office." (ABQJournal.com).

Bernalillo Country Clerk Mary Herrera claimed that in one batch of provisional ballots all of the disqualified ballots were Democrat and those that qualified were Republican. "The main reason for disqualifying them, she said, was because an affidavit testifying to the voter's identity, which is supposed to be signed by a presiding judge, was not in the outer of two envelopes that are supposed to be turned in to election workers. That rule was prescribed by New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron." (ABQtrib.com).

Two months before the election, Republican U.S. Attorney David Iglesias formed a task force — involving the criminal division of the U.S. Justice Department, the FBI, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and the secretary of state's office — to investigate and prosecute suspected cases of election fraud (ABQpubco.com). "The New Mexico probe was launched in part at the request of Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, who chairs the county's Bush-Cheney campaign." (Washington Post). "When they brought me on, it was plain and simple: They said, `We need to win Bernalillo County,'" said Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, who is helping coordinate Bush's campaign here. (ABQtrib.com). In April 2004, Sheriff White was added to the National Bush-Cheney '04 First Responders Leadership Team. "The Bush-Cheney '04 National First Responders Leadership Team will help build a nationwide network of grassroots support for the President and help communicate his commitment to homeland security and his record of achievement for America's first responders." (Forrelease.com).

Sheriff White also attended the 2004 Republican National Convention as a GOP delegate. While in New York City, the delegates took in a Broadway show and a tour of the Fox News studios (FreeNewMexican.com). Sheriff White also received the honor of being one of the 10 delegates selected to officially inform President Bush of his selection as the official Republican nominee for President. (FreeNewMexican.com).

In July of 2004, Indian Health Service hospitals and clinics in New Mexico were barred from registering new voters. Ronald C. Wood, executive officer of the federal program's regional Navajo office, advised his hospital and clinic directors in an e-mail: "There have been recent questions about whether we can do nonpartisan voter registration drives in our IHS facilities during non- duty hours. The guidance from HQs staff is that we should not allow voter registration in our facilities or on federal property." The Washington Post's Jo Becker reported that "[s]everal of those involved in the registration effort questioned what they saw as a double standard, given that the federal government encourages registration on military bases, where voters traditionally have favored Republicans." (IndyMediaTV).

In Sandoval County, Santo Domingo Pueblo Governor Sisto Quintana shut the polls a half-hour after they opened on Election Day, in order to observe All Souls Day, before re-opening them at 5 p.m. "The pueblo was closed for the feast and no outsiders were allowed on the pueblo," Quintana said. "I don't have to explain any more. Maybe next time, they should pick another site so it doesn't interfere." Three election observers from the U.S. Department of Justice were also asked to leave. (ABQjournal.com).

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/30/2004 05:45:00 AM

• 11/10: Green Party Presidential candidate David Cobb announces on KPFK radio that he and Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party are considering filing for a recount in Ohio.
• 11/11 The Cobb/LaMarche campaign confirms their intention to file for a recount in a public statement and press release, and requests donations to pay for the effort.
• 11/15 Common Cause, the National Voting Rights Institute, Demos, the Fannie Lou Hamer Project and People for the American Way Foundation issue a joint statement in support of the Cobb-Badnarik demand for an Ohio recount.
• 11/15 The Cobb/LaMarche campaign meets initial fundraising goal of $150,000 (including the $113,600 recount fee needed to file).
• 11/18 Congressman Dennis Kucinich publicly endorses recount efforts.
• 11/19 Cobb-Badnarik representatives deliver bond to guarantee $113,600 recount fee to each of the 88 Ohio county election directors.
• 11/20 Two Cobb/LaMarche campaign staff relocate to Columbus, Ohio to work with volunteers on the ground.
• 11/21 Cobb/LaMarche team meets second fundraising goal, reaching $250,000 in eleven days.
• 11/21 Cobb-Badnarik lawyers file a request for an expedited recount in federal district court in Toledo, Ohio, so that a "meaningful recount" can take place prior to the December 7th "safe harbor" certification and December 13th meeting of Ohio presidential electors.
• 11/22 The Delaware County, Ohio Board of Elections seeks a temporary restraining order to block Green and Libertarian presidential candidates from forcing a recount of the Nov. 2 election results prior to December 1st. Their request is granted by the judge.
• 11/22 Federal district court judge denies Cobb-Badnarik request to expedite recount, saying that Cobb and Badnarik do not face "irreparable harm" if the recount doesn't take place until after the December 7 date to certify presidential electors, since they will not have any electors anyway.
• 12/01 Date by which most Ohio counties will have certified their initial vote totals.
• 12/06 Date that Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell currently (as of 11/25) says he will finally certify the vote. Then, as detailed in Ohio Election law procedures, Cobb and Badnarik will formally request a recount and Secretary Blackwell will notify other candidates of their right to have observers at the recount. Under law, other candidates must have 5 days of notice before the recount can start.
• 12/07 The "safe harbor" date by which presidential electors in all 50 states must be conclusively determined.
• 12/11 Earliest possible start date for the Ohio recount, based on recent judicial ruling and Blackwell's current timeline for certification of the state vote.
• 12/13 Date by which, pursuant to Constitutional mandates, Electoral College electors must meet to cast their votes. This applies to Ohio and all other states.
• 1/6/04 Date that the electoral votes are opened by Congress and are susceptible to possible challenges. But since the votes for each state can only be rejected by majority rule, there is little chance of anything changing.
• 1/20/04 Inaugural Day. Homeland Security National Special Security Event Day. Million Protest March Day.

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/27/2004 11:30:00 PM

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm skipping ahead in my alphabetical state-by-state survey to focus on New Mexico. This is the first part of Part 31 (sorry, but there's a ton of articles about this battleground state that I still have to pore through).

In 2000, Vice President Al Gore won New Mexico by just 366 votes; it took nearly a month for New Mexico to finish counting the votes. In 2004, the wait wasn't quite as long; yesterday the state's official tally showed Bush beating Senator John Kerry by 5,988 votes. The delays are largely due to the large number of provisional ballots cast, and the manner in which they were counted (or not).

The unofficial (until they are audited) general election results listed on the Secretary of State's website (Sos.New Mexico) show that 776,010 people voted in the election. Bush received 376,958 votes; Kerry got 370,930; and the third party candidates (Cobb, Peroutka, Badnarik and Nader received a total of 8416 votes. What happened to the other 20,000 votes?

Out of 12,000 provisional and in-lieu-of paper ballots cast in Bernalillo County, nearly half were rejected; most because the prospective voter wasn't registered to vote anywhere in the county, but hundreds of provisional ballots were rejected due to minor discrepancies: "A Democratic attorney and an election volunteer for the party said workers disqualified hundreds of provisional ballots cast in Bernalillo County because of names that had a missing middle initial or some other minor discrepancy. They urged commissioners to reconsider the rejection of those ballots, if they could. The commissioners, however, said they didn't have authority to question the qualification of provisional ballots. They voted 3-0 in favor of certifying the Nov. 2 election results, which were sent to the Secretary of State's Office." (ABQjournal.com).

Bernalillo Country Clerk Mary Herrera claimed that in one batch of provisional ballots all of the disqualified ballots were Democrat and those that qualified were Republican. "The main reason for disqualifying them, she said, was because an affidavit testifying to the voter's identity, which is supposed to be signed by a presiding judge, was not in the outer of two envelopes that are supposed to be turned in to election workers. That rule was prescribed by New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron." (ABQtrib.com).

Two months before the election, Republican U.S. Attorney David Iglesias formed a task force — involving the criminal division of the U.S. Justice Department, the FBI, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and the secretary of state's office — to investigate and prosecute suspected cases of election fraud (ABQpubco.com). "The New Mexico probe was launched in part at the request of Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, who chairs the county's Bush-Cheney campaign." (Washington Post.com). "When they brought me on, it was plain and simple: They said, `We need to win Bernalillo County,'" said Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, who is helping coordinate Bush's campaign here. (ABQtrib.com). In April 2004, Sheriff White was added to the National Bush-Cheney '04 First Responders Leadership Team. "The Bush-Cheney '04 National First Responders Leadership Team will help build a nationwide network of grassroots support for the President and help communicate his commitment to homeland security and his record of achievement for America's first responders." (ForRelease.com).

Sheriff White also attended the 2004 Republican National Convention as a GOP delegate. While in New York City, the delegates took in a Broadway show and a tour of the Fox News studios (FreeNewMexican.com). Sheriff White also received the honor of being one of the 10 delegates selected to officially inform President Bush of his selection as the official Republican nominee for President. (FreeNewMexican.com).

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/25/2004 03:08:00 AM

I'm psyched to announce that ~A!'s (rapidly growing...now with forums!) blog, Watching The Watchers, will be joining my campaign to document any and all voting irregularities in the 2004 elections on a state by state basis (50 states plus D.C.).

Working backwards, Anthony just posted his first salvo: Wyoming. Here's the link to Part 50: Watching Wyoming.

While I originally planned to finish working on Chapter 5 (California) tonight, I'm going to skip ahead to New Mexico, since the final results have just been released, and, right now, Bush is ahead by only 6,000 votes. So check back later tonight or early tomorrow.

Part 1: Alabama Part 2: Alaska Part 3: Arizona Part 4: Arkansas

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/24/2004 08:13:00 PM

At this moment, The Progressive Blog Alliance contains over 130 blogs, not bad for a two-month-old alliance. Even better, the vast majority of the blogs are among the best the Internets has to offer. Here's what some of the PBAers are blogging about this week (I'm proud to say that I hit more than half of them today):

Last week's basketball game (that almost ended all basketball games) is on the minds of more than a couple PBAers: Goose3five of Comments From Left Field and David Anderson of ISOU have video links, while Mike Lane at At Ease has his own unique take on the mayhem (check Mike's comments for my never-humble opinion).

Thivai Abhor of Dialogic is on a mission to spread the word about the 3-part BBC documentary The Power of Nightmares: "Should we be worried about the threat from organised terrorism or is it simply a phantom menace being used to stop society from falling apart?" (Transcripts of Power of Nightmares & Video Links).

Brian Heater of The Wake is worried about how Bill Clinton will be able to fill three minutes in praise of Dubya when his future Presidential Library (likely to be the largest collection of books-on-tape ever!) opens for bidness: "We like Bill, so let's help him out, and think of a few nice things to say about George W. Here, I'll start: George W. Bush--at least as far as I know--has never killed a baby with his bare hands and eaten its innards in order to maintain a youthful glow. See, that was easy, wasn't it? Now it's your turn. Think of one nice thing to say about President Bush, and send it to thewakeblog@yahoo.com." Makin' The List).

The Cat's Dream of The Cat's Blog posted this timely quote by that famous dead dude, you know, the one with the juiced up kite: "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin (Liberty & Security).

AE of Dissent Channel lets his friend Jeff explode some myths about Southerners that have circulated because of "this awful so-called election." "Just because I am from the South does not make me stupid. I did not vote for Bush, nor did any of the people I know and associate with on a daily basis. SO GIVE OVER WITH THE “ALL SOUTHERNERS ARE STUPID AND NEED TO BE LOCKED AWAY” BULLSHIT." (F*ck the South? No, F*ck You (Says My Pal Jeff)).

Pinko Feminist Hellcat has a post about feminist bloggers arrested in Iran. This is NOT an endorsement for another Bush unilateral invasion. "I wonder why they are suddenly our enemy when our government has so much in common with them." (Action alert: Women's rights bloggers arrested in Iran).

Walter Maroney of DefCon4 wrote a poem about Fallujah: Fallujah! Fallujah!/Where tens of thousands will die!/But gays can't marry/So God is happy in the sky! (Fallujah Doggerel).

Gbreez of Gentle Breezes blogs about That Horrible Spending Bill: "Where does one start? It is a despicably bloated piece of porkpoop, it had at least two horrendously nasty provisions added in the dead of night attacking our civil rights by removing some of them, it was a gazillion pages long, put on the Congresspersons' desks on Saturday, giving no time to be read or for the unscrupulous provisions to be noticed, except for one, now heroic, aide who did notice, then an untimely vote forced, passing those provisions. Allegedly, these were, um, mistakes? To be rectified? I doubt it. Time will tell. We just keep losing our civil liberties and most folks are blissfully unaware."

Jude Nagurney Camwell of Iddybud has a link to a petition to Draft Howard Dean for DNC Chair and I'm in firm agreement.

Finally, Christine of Halfgeek beat me to the biggest news of the day regarding election reform: "Reps. John Conyers, Jr., Jerrold Nadler, Robert Wexler, Robert Scott, and Rush Holt announced today that, in response to their November 5 and 8 letters to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the GAO has decided to move forward with an investigation of election irregularities in the 2004 election." Christine wants to know: "Does that mean my tinfoil hat is no longer necessary?" (GAO To The Rescue).

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/23/2004 09:29:00 PM

This is it. This is the news that some of us have been waiting for. This is the news that hopefully will persuade the naysayers on the left and will help bring about true election reform.

What will the G.O.P. do?

The same thing they did in 2000. Delay. Delay. Delay.

"Keith Cunningham, director of the Allen County Board of Elections and incoming president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials, called the lawsuit "frivolous," adding that he might mobilize counties to resist a recount. "Commissioners are beginning to understand — and if they don't, will understand soon — what kind of financial impact this is going to have on them, in a year when elections already cost a great deal more than expected," said Cunningham, a Republican" (Yahoo News).

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/23/2004 02:48:00 AM

I'm going to try to take a look at election anomalies and accusations of fraud in all fifty states for Election 2004 (if anyone has any news or links...leave a comment or e-mail me...).

Republican Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's wife, Janet Huckabee, worked as a poll worker in Pulaski County. Early voting in Arkansas began on October 19th, and Mrs. Huckabee's presence at the Dunbar Community Center drew a number of complaints. "Precinct Election Judge Helen Burr said she believes Huckabee's presence at the polls is a political act. She also said Janet Huckabee wrongly asked a voter to show identification. But Huckabee says her training materials say workers can ask for ID." (KATV.com).

Arkansas Code 7-5-305 regarding voter identification instructs election officials to "Request the voter for purposes of identification to provide a current and valid photo identification or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter. If a voter is unable to provide this identification, the election official shall indicate on the precinct voter registration list that the voter did not provide identification." Democratic poll watcher Brian Greer said that while Mrs. Huckabee seemed to know the law well, she still pushed people to show identification. "She was badgering people about why they didn’t have their ID," he said. "She’d get into people’s business and could be kind of rude in the process. Intimidation may not have been her intent, but that was the residual effect," he said. (NWAnews.com).

Governor Huckabee held a news conference in late October where he defended his wife's actions and "the rights of the pollworkers." "Huckabee said Pulaski County election officials have violated state FOI laws and his wife's right to due process by calling a private meeting to consider complaints that she was a distraction at the polling site and was there to intimidate black voters. The governor said he has asked Attorney General Mike Beebe to render an opinion on the commission's action as quickly as possibly. Huckabee said people ought to grateful that his wife wants to volunteer her time, especially when there is a great need for pollworkers. "The broader universe is not about her, it is really about the process of our elections," Huckabee said, adding that the first lady will continue to work at the polls through Tuesday. "Especially in Pulaski County, we want to make sure when people go to vote that not only are the rights of voters protected, but also the rights of the pollworkers ..." (Arkansasnews.com).

In June, Mrs. Huckabee "joined Arkansas State Representative Cecile Bledsoe, Surrogate Events Chairwoman for Arkansas Bush-Cheney '04 Deena Burnett and Bush-Cheney '04 supporters to announce the Bush-Cheney '04 Arkansas "W Stands for Women" Leadership Team in Rogers, Arkansas." "To ensure our place and progress in America and in the world remain firm, we must continue to support President Bush and his commitment to women's issues. President Bush will depend on his leadership team in Arkansas to highlight his positive record of achievement and to aid his reelection effort this November," said Huckabee. (Georgewbush.com).

In 2002, Janet Huckabee ran unsuccessfully for Secretary of State, while her husband ran for reelection as governor. If Mrs. Huckabee had won, she and her husband would have controlled two of three seats on the panel that draws the state's political boundaries. In a New York Times article, Janet Huckabee dismissed concerns from critics about the dual campaigns: "If it wasn’t for the grace of God, I’d have shot a few people already," she said. "Jesus wasn’t liked either. And Jesus was mistreated and called names." (Daily Kos)

Former Southern Baptist minister Mike Huckabee served as the chairman of Redeem the Vote's advisory committee. "Dr Randy Brinson and his wife Pam, founded Redeem the Vote in December 2003. During the last 8 months, their organization mobilized thousands of evangelicals, youth, Catholics, and Jewish organizations through the internet, concerts, Christian music festivals, and video emails with Christian artists and Jim Caviezel, star of the Passion of the Christ. It is estimated that over 2.5 million voters were moved to participate in the election through the RTV media and Internet campaign." (Redeemthevote.com).

"It wasn’t like Ohio, but Arkansan voters cast provisional ballots across the state in Tuesday’s election. In many cases, they voted provisionally unnecessarily, causing confusion and anger for many voters and extra work for election officials. Unlike Ohio, where approximately 150,000 provisional ballots figured prominently in the presidential contest between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, the exact number of such ballots used in Arkansas is not known." (NWAhomes.com).

"A computer glitch skewed results from the JP District 2 race between Rocky Whitely and Duane Coatney. It is believed that the programming alignment was out of kilter, as provided by Election Systems and Software, the company that programs computer chips to read the local ballots." (Greenforesttribune.com).

"Before he became vice president of Elections Systems and Software, Tom Eschberger was accused by Arkansas authorities of colluding with then-Arkansas Secretary of State Bill McCuen [Democrat] to sell used voting machines that Eschberger's former employer, Business Records Corp., had received in trade. Eschberger was granted immunity in exchange for a deposition he gave state prosecutors. McCuen pleaded guilty in 1995 to political corruption and related charges and served two years in prison." (Stimson.homestead.com).

"Lisa Burks, an election activist, writes, "Unfortunately Arkansas still uses the ES&S machines sold by the corrupt vendor in our elections. We have had major problems with their optical scanners, including misprogrammed computer chips during our recent May 18th primary. Even so, some of Arkansas' machines were reconditioned and sold to Florida, where they remain still." (Usenet).

Remote sites in Pulaski County were not provided with enough provisional ballots when early voting started on October 19. "Remote sites for early voting in Pulaski County do not have provisional ballots, so voters whose ballots are challenged have no way to vote. Elections director Susan Inman says challenged voters will be directed to the county courthouse to cast disputed ballots until provisional ballots can be delivered to seven satellite voting locations." (Katv.com).

The Republican National Committee sent out a mailer warning Arkansas residents that liberals were working to ban the bible, legalize gay marriage and overturn the ban on the "hideous procedure known as Partial Birth Abortion." On the envelope there is a picture of two (presumedly) gay men holding hands. (Steve Clemons.com, Chuckcurrie.blogs.com).

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/23/2004 02:39:00 AM

People ask me, "Why did Kerry concede so soon before all the votes were counted?"

From now on, my answer will be: because of the DLC.

Despite what certain Clintonistas are saying throughout the mainstream media, John Kerry does have his eye on the provisional ballot count going on in Ohio, and the recounts scheduled to take place there soon after and in Florida and New Hampshire.

How do I know this?

John Kerry had this to say in a letter sent to his campaign supporters:

"Regardless of the outcome of this election, once all the votes are counted -- and they will be counted -- we will continue to challenge this administration. This is not a time for Democrats to retreat and accommodate extremists on critical principles -- it is a time to stand firm. I will fight for a national standard for federal elections that has both transparency and accountability in our voting system. It's unacceptable in the United States that people still don't have full confidence in the integrity of the voting process. I ask you to join me in this cause."

Any "democrat" out there that tells you differently, any "moderate" out there that doesn't think it's the right time to fight for electoral reform, any "progressive" out there that employs the term "conspiracy theorist" is not part of the solution. They are the problem. It's high time we address that problem. It's high time that the Joe Liebermans of the party shape up or ship the fuck out.

Kerry wants our help. Let's show him that we support the true wing of the Democratic Party: the liberal wing.

Normally, a member of the Senate will first approach other senators and ask them to co-sponsor a bill before it is introduced -- instead, I am turning to you. Imagine the power of a bill co-sponsored by hundreds of thousands of Americans being presented on the floor of the United States Senate. You can make it happen. Sign our "Every Child Protected" pledge today and forward it to your family, friends, and neighbors: http://johnkerry.com/EveryChild."

Speaking of Ohio, some more links:

Common Cause ("a nonpartisan nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1970 by John Gardner as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest") has a blog devoted to Ohio voting stories: Commonblog.com

DKosopedia, the free political encyclopedia, has a page devoted to 2004 Ohio Irregularities (Dkosopedia

The Cleveland Plains Dealer has a story about lawyers pressing for a recount in Ohio (Lawyers to challenge election in Ohio): "A trio of activist lawyers armed with mysteriously wrong exit polls and hundreds of voter horror stories announced plans Friday to contest Ohio's presidential election as soon as the vote is official. Their challenge could lead to widespread reconsideration of dozens of alleged election irregularities around the state - from reported computerized voting glitches to provisional-ballot mishaps to unusual incidents involving voter rolls, poll workers and machine technicians."

This website for the Ohio Democratic Party also has a bunch of good links: Ohio Dems.org

The Free Press has a great article about the Ohio Election Protection Coalition’s public hearings held last week (Freepress.org). This testimonial is from Carol Shelton, presiding judge, precinct 25 B at the Linden Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library: “The precinct is 95 to 99 percent black. . . . There were 1,500 persons on the precinct rolls. We received three machines. In my own precinct in Clintonville, 19E, we always received three machines for 700 to 730 voters. Voter turnout in my own precinct has reached as high as 70 percent while I worked there. I interviewed many voters in 25 B and asked how many machines they had had in the past. Everyone who had a recollection said five or six. I called to get more machines and ended up being connected with Matt Damschroder, the Director of the Board of Elections. After a real hassle -- and someone here has it on videotape, he sent me a fourth machine which did not dent the length of the line. Fewer than 700 voted, although the turnout at the beginning of the day would cause anyone to predict a turnout of over 80 percent. This was a clear case of voter suppression by making voting an impossibility for anyone who had to go to work or anyone who was stuck at home caring for children or the elderly while another family member voted.”

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/20/2004 05:23:00 PM

I'm going to try to take a look at election anomalies and accusations of fraud in all fifty states for Election 2004 (if anyone has any news or links...leave a comment or e-mail me...).

According to Election Protection 2004, "a collaboration involving more than 100 national, state, and local public interest groups," numerous incidents occurred in Arizona on election day which may be considered acts of voter suppression. Pima County: "Democratic voters received calls throughout Monday evening, providing incorrect information about the precinct location. Voters have had to be transported en masse in order to correct the problem." Phoenix: "A bomb scare at a school resulted in an immediate evacuation, followed by the relocation of the polling place to a church two blocks away. Election Officials appreciated the help of the Election Protection volunteers in redirecting voters to the new polling place." Maricopa County: "An Election Protection volunteer in Maricopa County reports that one polling site in an area with a large Hispanic population is closed." Tuscon: "The hotline received a phone call from a Poll Monitor in Tuscon, Arizona, who reports that she just discovered that Spanish ballots have not been available at Precinct 26 all day long, and that there are still no Spanish ballots at that precinct" and "In Tuscon, Arizona a misleading call informing voters that they should vote on November 3 has been traced back to the state GOP headquarters. The FBI is investigating."

Dennis Wagner of The Arizona Republic on AZcentral.com reported that "Arizona schools that double as voting precincts are being asked to consider implementing security measures on Election Day that voting-rights advocates say could violate federal and state laws. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne sent the letter Monday, advising district and school administrators to monitor all voters who come on campuses and to consider implementing emergency-response plans during Tuesday's election. About one-third of Arizona's 2,109 precinct polling places are at schools. "

"Nathan Sproul, owner of Chandler-based Sproul & Associates Inc...oversaw the RNC's nationwide campaign to sign up Bush-Cheney voters in swing states. A Valley-based political consulting company headed by Arizona's former Republican Party chief has come under fire in at least two states for allegedly throwing away voter registration cards filled out by Democrats. In Oregon, the state Attorney General's Office launched an investigation Wednesday after registration collector Mike Johnson admitted to Portland's KGW-TV that he "might have" destroyed forms completed by Democrats. The Associated Press reported in September that Sproul employees "misrepresented themselves" when they sought permission for a registration booth at the Medford, Ore., public library, using the name "America Votes." That is the official title of a nonpartisan coalition of liberal organizations involved in registration and education drives."(AZcentral.com).

Russ Dove is editor of Tianews.com, the website of Truth in Action, which supports Protect Arizona Now or Proposition 200, a Republican-authored referendum which would require proof of citizenship for anyone registering to vote. "On primary day, Dove says he sported "a black T-shirt with 'U.S. Constitutional Enforcement' on the back" and the image of a badge on the front. "The only people we will bother are people who are in violation of the law," says Dove. For instance, if he sees "a busload of Hispanic individuals who didn't speak English and who voted," he plans to follow that bus to make sure they aren't voting more than once. (Alternet.org).

Republican Arizona Secretary of State Janice K. Brewer, who serves as Chief Election Officer for the State and certifies candidates and measures to the ballot and election results, wrote a column for the Verde Valley Independent in support of George Bush (Ahwatukee Foothills News): "In summation, the political season of mudslinging and campaign accusations seems to have begun here in Arizona, yet Democrats will have great difficulty in getting around the many accomplishments made by President Bush in 2003. At election time people like to review candidates' records. If that's the case this year, then President Bush's prospects sure look good as he has a long list of accomplishments in which to tout." In 2002, Ms. Brewer, an active member of the Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church, was endorsed by the Arizona Right To Life Political Action Committee.

On September 2, 2003 Secretary of State Jan Brewer announced the official contract was awarded to Diebold Election Systems to update punch card voting equipment used in nine Arizona counties. "It is vitally important that we continue to meet the timelines and objectives I have put forward in order for our State to be successful," stated Secretary Brewer. "This contract award keeps us right on schedule to have all nine punch-card counties able to use their new voting systems for the 2004 Presidential Preference Election in February." (Azsos.gov).

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/19/2004 03:31:00 AM

In October of 1999, J.H. Hatfield’s biography of George W. Bush, “Fortunate Son” was published by St. Martin’s Press. While the bulk of the book contained nothing new or noteworthy, it was the afterword which packed a powerful punch. Three different sources, unnamed but purportedly close friends of Bush, told Mr. Hatfield that George W. Bush had once been arrested for cocaine possession in Texas in 1972. They also claimed that his father, who was the United States Ambassador at the time under Richard Nixon, was able to get the charges dropped in exchange for a year of community service. That community service was to be with a charity organization that featured George Herbert Walker Bush as its honorary co-chairman.

On October 20, 1999, Charles Kelly and Kris Mayes – writing for The Arizona Republic – wrote a story that refuted those allegations. Oddly enough, the article also relied on three sources. But these sources weren’t unidentified. And one of the sources also happened to be a close friend of Bush.

"If this would have been true, John White would have told me, and John White has gone to his grave and he never told me about it," said Ernie Ladd, co-founder of Project P.U.L.L. (Professionals United For Leadership League) in 1999.

But did John White take the truth with him to his grave?

Or are Ernie Ladd and George W. Bush lying?

Because if it had been true, John White would have never have had to tell Ernie Ladd.

Ernie Ladd would've known. After all, Ernie "Big Cat" Ladd and Dubya's Poppa, George Herbert Walker Bush, had been buddies ever since the late sixties (Sfgate.com).

Why would the 6-foot-9, 320-pound ex-football player and Hall of Fame wrestler lie for the Bushes?

The same boring motives it always winds up being: power and money.

Ernie Ladd’s alibi, along with an article written by Pete Slover of the Dallas Morning News which exposed Mr. Hatfield’s criminal past, helped to discredit the charges, and led to a recall of the book by St. Martin’s Press. All 70,000 copies were turned into “furnace fodder.” The book remained out-of-print until after Bush’s election in 2000, republished by Soft Skull Press, a guerrilla publishing operation founded by Sander Hicks. J.H. Hatfield was found dead of an apparent suicide in July of 2001.

On October 23, 2004 Meg Laughlin wrote an article for the Philadelphia Inquirer entitled “Some Dispute Bush’s Account of ’73 Charity Work.” Some former associates of White, who died in 1988, speaking on the record for the first time, say that Bush wasn't helping to run the program but was instead a volunteer, and that White hadn't asked Bush to come aboard. Instead, the associates said, White told them he agreed to take Bush on as a favor to Bush's father, who was honorary cochairman of the program at the time. They say White, a tight end for the Houston Oilers in the '60s, told them Bush had gotten into some kind of trouble, but White never gave them specifics."

Meg cites more than three sources to back up her claims, five to be exact. But there is one person quoted in the article defending George W. Bush. That person, yet again, is Ernie Ladd: “Ladd says Bush was "an excellent bridge for the kids." "He connected them to the white community on a level they could understand," said Ladd, who's now a minister in Louisiana.”

But Ernie Ladd isn’t just a minister in Louisiana. He also happens to be an executive of a Louisiana based petroleum and chemical firm (Kayfabe). An oil company that has done amazingly well for itself ever since Mr. Ladd spoke out for George W. Bush in 1999.

Operating out of Monroe, Louisiana, Pro Set, Inc., a “leader in the coating and application industry,” is a manufacturer and applicator of polyurea, “a multi-functional industrial coating used to encapsulate, resurface, stabilize or reinforce a multitude of surfaces and substrates.” It’s a high strength, spray-on plastic which is used to prevent corrosion in roofs, walls, truck beds and ship decks.

Even though Ernie Ladd is considered a legend in Louisiana, oddly enough, his name is not prominently featured on the website. But his name can be found on this page of the website along with Pro Set’s owner, Tom Leaverton. Before 2000, Pro Set worked on projects such as the roof of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and getting rid of the odor from the bathrooms of a minor league baseball team.

Then, in October of 2000 - according to the Pro Set website - Stonhard, Inc. hired Pro Set “to apply their Polyurea to the propeller shaft housing and rudder of a 350’ Naval Frigate. The website maintains that the “Navy is completely satisfied with the results.”

The Polyurea Development Association conference held in San Antonio, Texas in 2002 featured two keynote speakers: Ernie Ladd and Wendy Thompson. Recapping the event in the PDA newsletter, Ken Bowman, the executive director, wrote “by the way, Ernie is in the polyurea business today, one of the owners of Pro Set, Inc.” In his speech, Mr. Ladd boasted that Pro Set was one of the founding fathers of the PDA.

Wendy Thompson worked for the Department of Defense and in various positions at the Pentagon for over ten years. She was the program manager for the Pentagon's Remote Delivery Facility, a project which was launched in response to the 1998 truck bomb attacks on the United States embassies in Tanzania and Kenya because of vulnerability concerns, since there was no isolated delivery facility in which to sort mail.

But this wasn’t the first time that Mr. Ladd and Ms. Thompson worked together. In November of 2000, again according to the website, Pro Set was hired by Bird Roofing to waterproof the roof of the RDF. Bird Roofing worked as a subcontractor to Hensel Phelps, the primary contractor, which later would garner a controversial $620 million contract to redo the Pentagon after September 11, 2001. It is believed that Hensel Phelps received a no-bid contract, because of its ties to the Army Corps of Engineers, which has hired the company for $1 billion in projects all over the world. According to Walker Lee Evey (PCSI Coatings), another program manager from the Pentagon Renovation, “the lowest bidder on bid projects is not necessarily the best value,” so his “common sense philosophy is to select contractors though a ‘best value’ selection process.”

In January of 2001, Pro Set Inc. was awarded another high profile and - most probably - high paying contract. International Paper hired them to waterproof three areas of roofs at their facilities in Pensacola, Florida. Interestingly, the International Paper Company contributed over $1 million in campaign contributions to the Republican Party in the year 2000, and Bush’s former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O’Neill was once the CEO. In an interview with Lori Henson of Savannah Morning News, Mike Vaquer, Georgia governmental affairs director for International Paper said “everything that could be done prior to the election to turn out voters was done.” ”We underwent a pretty intense program of educating our employees on the issues ... providing voter registration packets and arranging for absentee ballots," Vaquer said. "It is really a nail-biter. It is a very interesting election." It appears that International Paper feared that Vice President Gore possessed a “less logger-friendly attitude.”

Polyurea isn’t just used to waterproof roofs and sewage pipes. Noah Shachtman of Wired News reported earlier this year in May that the Navy had stumbled on to another use for the application: spray-on armor. “ Nearly every day, it seems, an American Humvee in Iraq gets totaled by a roadside bomb or rocket-propelled grenade. But the military's top brass have been reluctant to add extra armor to the Hummers, which tend to tip if they get too heavy. ONR thinks the answer may lie in a spray-on polymer that can protect the vehicles without adding extra weight. When it hardens, the polyurea coating feels rubbery to the touch. But in recent tests, it's been shown to stop large-caliber bullets and protect a dummy driver when a Humvee gets bombed.”

How does it work? Don’t ask the Navy. “We have a panel trying to understand how it works,” an ONR program manager told Army Times last month.”

But polyurea does way, way more than just stop bullets. Tests conducted by the Air Force Research Laboratory on a product called Line-X Paxcon have “proven” that the spray-on polyeurothane offers bomb-blast protection (4 Wheel Parts Adventures, Paxcon). “The Air Force says we are the only product that can be used to coat buildings for bomb protection,” said Brandon Borene of Line-X. “ The Air Force Research lab, during a previous test, found that it took at least 1,000 pounds equivalent of TNT to "make PAXCON™ fail and even then it only tore the coating... fragmentation was still averted. PAXCON™ could save lives if applied to buildings subjected to bomb force." According to the Air Force Research Lab, an 1/8th inch coating, front and back, reduces the "stand off distance by over 50%." And that PAXCON™ should be used for any buildings, structures or vehicles that might get exposed to bomb impact.”

That polyurea must be some powerful stuff. Up until recently, it had been primarily used to line the beds in pickup trucks. Now it’s being utilized to help rebuild Iraq through the efforts of Kuwait’s Al Sabaiea National Contracting & General Trading Co, the regional agent distributor & engineering consultant for Linex & Paxcon products (Rebuild Iraq). There ought to be a lot of use for that right now in Iraq.

According to a post left by TruckGasm on this industry message board, George W. Bush has personally approved of our military’s use of Paxcon: “The most interesting thing I have ever sprayed with LINE-X was a custom made trailer that was about 7 ft by 8 ft that was made to hold satellite communication equipment for the military in Iraq. From our shop, it was taken to President Bush's ranch for military approval, loaded with the equipment, and then shipped to Iraq. This happened about a month ago. We sure were proud that day.”

But Ernie Ladd has more interests than just his waterproofing company. In an obscure July, 2000 interview with Greg Oliver of SLAM! Wrestling (The Cat In Bush's Corner) Ernie admitted his allegiance to the Bushies: "I'm stuck pretty close to George Bush's campaign, I've known the family for more than 34 years."

It hasn't been exactly a stealth relationship. In the SLAM! interview, Ernie boasted, "I'm recognized athletically and politically." He also mentioned "that he expects to be sitting in the Bush's private box at the Convention, not out on the floor."

As Jonathan Tilove of Newhouse News Service put it in 2000 (Ernie Ladd's Comeback): "When the Bush team wanted a bigger black presence at inaugural events, they asked one of the biggest black men in America for help." Ernie Ladd was named a special deputy to the Presidential Inaugural Committee (along with Eli Rodriguez, a public relations specialist and GOP activist from Fort Worth, Texas who had been friends with George Herbert Walker Bush since 1964) and placed in charge of the Office of Diversity to ensure that "inaugural activities include a diverse culture and population." Mr. Ladd was responsible for recruiting black faces; while Mr. Rodriguez attracted Latinos.

Kirbyjon Caldwell, the pastor from Mr. Ladd’s hometown church, Windsor Village United Methodist, introduced George W. Bush at the 2000 G.O.P. convention in Philadelphia and also performed the benediction at Bush’s inauguration (“in the name that’s above all other names, Jesus the Christ”). Yet, in an interview with Christianity Today Pastor Caldwell insisted that he was “originally asked by President Bush to introduce him at the convention.” In addition, Minister Ladd was able to book the choir from his church, The Triumph and St. Stephens Choir to perform at the Washington National Cathedral Prayer Service during the inaugural ceremonies.

Ernie Ladd has vigorously defended George W. Bush's controversial "election" in 2000. "I don't agree with people now that the election is over continuing to attempt to divide the country," Ladd told Mr. Tilove in 2000. "These are people who put their political views before the truth. Once our black communities start talking the truth and stop being misled by black leaders who don't bring the whole truth into our communities, we will see a difference."

Based on his expertise in elections, Mr. Ladd was selected for the Louisiana Help America Vote Advisory Committee in March of 2003. On the Advisory Committee Membership ListMr. Ladd is listed as a Representative of Louisiana’s NAACP. The committee was formed in order to determine how much federal money, through Bush’s Help America Vote Act of 2002, would be “made available to assist with improving election administration, for purchasing new equipment and voting machines, for improving voter accessibility, for training elections workers, and for voter education programs.” The committee directed its $48 million dollars in federal funds to help transform their mechanical lever models to computerized voting in time for the 2006 elections. Unfortunately, Lousiana happens to be one of the 17 states which does not have laws requiring paper trails even though “touch-screen machines purchased from Election Systems and Software malfunctioned during fall 2002 elections (http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1090680796283800.xml).

In April of 2004, The New York Times editorialized that “Louisiana sent an advisory to recent mail registrants, saying that the Help America Vote Act "requires" them to provide part of their driver's license number, or alternative identification, on an enclosed form and that they must do so "immediately." This, too, was false. The act makes clear the information can be provided at the polls on Election Day. The letter gives recipients the impression that they are not fully registered. People who neglect to do the paperwork may believe they cannot vote.”

In the same interview with Mr. Tilove, Mr. Ladd provides further details about the history behind his history with the family Bush: "I just had moved to Houston (to join the Oilers) from the San Diego Chargers and they wanted to know who the most popular black person was in the city of Houston and someone told them Ernie Ladd was getting a lot of newspaper coverage," Ladd recalled. At first he refused to meet with Bush. "I wasn't going to no hotel to see no Republican," Ladd said. But then he challenged Bush to come to his home and meet with him and a houseful of "brothers." "He took the challenge," Ladd said. "He came to my house. My brothers all got after him politically. He weathered the storm, shot us down, and that's how I became a Republican."

On September 13, 2004 a website called 1wrestling.com reported that Mr. Ladd was undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer (Ernie Ladd Update). Gergiann Makropoulos also revealed that - just like George W. Bush - Ernie found God in the eighties, and though his doctors believed that the chemotherapy treatment put his cancer in remission, "Ernie gives all credit to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

In July of 1990, Mr. Ladd also participated in the anti-abortion Unity 90 conference hosted by the American Life League, which was televised on CNN and brought together Pastor Jerry Falwell and New York Cardinal John O'Connor: “Unity 90 was a great boost to pro-life African-Americans everywhere. We had the opportunity to be uplifted by such eminent Black pro-life leaders as: the Rev. Hiram Crawford (Israel Church), Dolores Grier (Black Catholics United Against Abortion), Maurice Weir (National Institute for Black Family Empowerment), the Rev. D. Pate (Church Point Ministries), Dr. Mildred Jefferson (Right To Life Crusade), Minister Humza Hafeez (Mahamad Speaks), Br. John Tyler (Illinois Federation for Right to Life) Joyce Lester (Teen Talk) and Ernie Ladd ( Former NFL player)." Perhaps the most important aspect of the conference for African Americans was that it provided us with the chance to come together, expand our network, and voice our opinions on the genocidal effects of abortion and many other problems facing the Black community. I am certain that, as a result, Black involvement in the pro-life cause will grow faster than ever.

Ernie Ladd has also been involved with the Bill Glass prison ministries. "That's probably one of my most enjoyable moments is to be able to go into prisons and to be able to share with people that have broken the law an opportunity to repent, and turn their lives around," Ladd said. "It's very exciting to me, and most enjoyable and most rewarding." Speaking of rewarding, “as governor of Texas, Bush allowed the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, a project of Prison Fellowship Ministries, to work within the prison system to rehabilitate prisoners for the outside world (http://www.ifiprison.org).”

In a 1997 interview with Mike Mooneyham of The Wrestling Gospel, Ernie Ladd spoke of his 1981 conversion which occurred at a restaurant in a small Georgia town: "I met a young white boy in the restaurant and he told me he wanted to go into my room and read the Bible with me," Ladd recalls. "I was quite disturbed. The guy wanted me to get on my knees and pray with him. I told him he must have been strange. I just wanted to knock the guy out right there in the restaurant." But something happened on his way to thrashing the young man. "I thought I was going to beat the guy up, but the Holy Spirit beat me up. I went upstairs to read the Bible with him. I ended up giving my life to the Lord. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. The Holy Spirit came up on me and changed my life in its entirety. I could never repay that."

No matter how much Mr. Ladd may have profited from his relationship with the Bush Dynasty, it is equally doubtful that the debt owed to him by Dubya could ever be repaid.

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/18/2004 02:48:00 AM

To me, the number one problem with our electoral system is the fact that hundreds of thousands of people take the time to go to the polls on election day but for various reasons, their votes aren't counted.

Greg Palast (www.gregpalast.com) is the Paul Revere of spoilage. He warned us four years ago, and he hasn't let up since.

On November 12th, Palast wrote this extraordinary article: Kerry Won Just Count The Ballots At The Back Of the Bus. Here are some excerpts:

American democracy has a dark little secret. In a typical presidential election, two million ballots are simply chucked in the garbage, marked "spoiled" and not counted. A dive into the electoral dumpster reveals something special about these votes left to rot. In a careful county-by-county, precinct-by-precinct analysis of the Florida 2000 race, the US Civil Rights Commission discovered that 54% of the votes in the spoilage bin were cast by African-Americans.

To the victors go the spoils of electoral class war. As Ohio's politically ambitious Secretary of State brags on his own website, "Last time I checked, Katherine Harris wasn't in a soup line, she's in Congress."

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/17/2004 09:26:00 PM

~A!'s blog, Watching The Watchers, posted an article about a new ending for Eminem's powerful Mosh video, which "depicts Senator Kerry crying on the Senate floor, the crowd storms into the Capital Building, carrying peace signs and protest banners." I'd like to add that next to Kerry and Edwards there is a sign that reads, "Count Every Vote." Go to Guerrilla News Network to check out the updated version for yourself: The Mosh Continues. "An alternative ending for the video provides the opportunity to remind all those who were inspired by the first version to not give up the fight. So if you are still searching for answers, know that our opinions still matter. We here at the GNN bunker have kept our chins up and heads down these past two weeks and have come back at you with a brand new ending. Our hope is that it will show our battered teammates and the rest of the world that we are not here to say sorry but instead, the fight continues and we will be heard."

~A! has some neat car magnets and ribbons for sale at his Website (WTW.org): "The time has come to proclaim our stance on this election, and on this president. Let the world know it wasn't you who voted for his sorry ass with these Car Magnets! No need to screw up the paint job, and quick to take down when they come for you! The Magnets are $6.50 USD, shipping and handling included. Ribbons are 4" wide by 8" tall, and the rectangles are 7.5" wide by 3" tall."

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/16/2004 09:49:00 PM

Here's some more links to lawyers, bloggers and non-profit organizations which are trying to DO SOMETHING about the problems with our electoral system. Bookmark them and send the links to your friends.

A lawsuit was filed by an Ohio Democrat against the Boards of Elections in Franklin and Knox counties because of the ridiculously, long lines at voting locations on election day (NBC4i): "The lawsuit asked that voters be given the option of filing a paper ballot if they are in a line that has a wait time of more than two hours, NBC 4 reported. The judge agreed and demanded that alternative methods, including paper ballots or absentee ballots, should be issued to those standing in long lines. The judge said the Boards of Elections have a duty to provide additional ballots when necessary."

"Verified Voting.org and the Verified Voting Foundation champion reliable and publicly verifiable elections in the United States. We advocate the use of voter-verified paper ballots (VVPBs) for all elections in the United States, so voters can inspect individual permanent records of their ballots before they are cast and so meaningful recounts may be conducted. We also insist that electronic voting equipment and software be open to public scrutiny and that random, surprise recounts be conducted on a regular basis to audit election equipment. Paperless electronic voting systems are failing us. Worse yet, resistance from the elections official community is astonishing!"

Topple Bush.com has also been pressing the issue. "Many viewers have contacted us since the election asking what they can do to help make sure all of the ballots get counted, what can be done about all of the voter intimidation and other frauds committed by BushCo operatives, and what can be done to make sure electronic voting machines counted the votes correctly so that Bush didn't steal another election. There is no doubt our election process is a mess and needs fixing and even if we can't remove Bush in this election, although we should still be trying and not giving up, we must continue to work to fix these numerous problems before the next election in 2006."

The League of Pissed Off Voters (love that moniker!) are behind Indyvoter.org and have been involved in national voter-organizing out of New York City. "Our mission is to engage pissed off 17-35 year olds in the democratic process to build a progressive governing majority in our lifetime."

Electronic Frontier Foundation is a nonprofit group of passionate people — lawyers, technologists, volunteers, and visionaries — working to protect our digital rights. "The 2004 presidential election might not be flawed like the last one was; it might be even worse. Communities across America are purchasing electronic voting (e-voting) machines, but the technology has serious security problems that aren't being addressed."

"The National Ballot Integrity Project Task Force was founded to unite and enhance the effectiveness of the already energized and motivated organizations, grassroots activists, concerned citizens and legislators who comprise the election integrity movement across the nation."

Us Together.org has a chart that compares the results from Florida by breaking it down between Op-Scan counties versus the Touchscreen counties. "While the heavily scrutinized touch-screen voting machines seemed to produce results in which the registered Democrat/Republican ratios largely matched the Kerry/Bush vote, in Florida's counties using optically scanned paper ballots the results seem to contain anomalies."

The We Do Not Concede Coalition "urges you to continue to help get the word out - we are making a difference! Unite in your communities, protest in numbers, deliver petitions to your elected officials. Let your friends, family, email lists, and groups know about this growing coalition of concerned Americans who are questioning the results of the 2004 election. Write letters to the editor urging members of your community to NOT CONCEDE their votes."

Norman Lear's People for the American Way, in conjunction with National Voting Rights Institute, DEMOS, People For the American Way Foundation, Common Cause, and the Fannie Lou Hamer Project, have released a statement,in Support of the Ohio Recount and for Conserving Ballots and Examining Procedures Nationwide. "A recount in Ohio and a full examination of ballots and registrations in Ohio and elsewhere are not only necessary first steps to ensure that we have an accurate count. Such efforts will also help all Americans better understand what is working and what is not working in our elections system. With that information, we can pursue reforms that will ensure that the next election is less likely to face doubts."

Democratic Underground has tons of updates every day at this discussion forum. Today, I found a link to this New England Cable News interview between Senator John F. Kerry and Alison King, in which he pins his "loss" on the war and terrorism, and disagrees with the perception that moral values were what mattered most to the American people. When asked if he has plans for running again in 2008, Kerry ducks it and responds, "They haven't finished counting the votes yet."

Joseph Cannon has been blogging non-stop about Votergate 2004 at Cannonfire.blogspot.com: "We can, and will, maintain the search for better evidence of vote fraud. But one thing few understand is that, by world standards, we already possess sufficient evidence. Repeated exit poll disparities favoring one party do constitute damning evidence, despite what some people may tell you. Exit polls are the only way to verify a computerized vote."

Peter Smith at Ledge of Liberty has compiled a statistical analysis by using data from the last four Presidential elections "revealing negative percentages of change, across the board, for Democratic candidate, John Kerry, and wouldn’t you know it -- positive percentages of change for the Republican candidate, George W. Bush."

Brad Friedman at The Brad Blog has an alternative name for Votergate 2004: Grand Theft America. Brad's note: "I am not, for now, focusing here on alleged Dirty Tricks and/or reports of Voter Suppression/Disenfranchisement on Election Day though there were plenty of them. I'm looking at emerging hard evidence documenting potential fraud and/or mistabulation of actual votes cast by Americans on 11/2/04, with a focus on disturbing trends related to Ohio and Florida.

A trial lawyer from Maryland who uses the handle jsmdlawyer on Daily Kos has been fighting the naysayers that attack his diaries and comments. This is a link to one of his diaries which hits upon the provisional ballots and spoiled votes in Ohio.

Finally, Jeff Fisher, an unsuccessful candidate for Congressman in Florida has transformed his Fisher for Congress website into a showcase devoted to Votergate 2004. There are some articles on his site that seem questionable, but worth a look, none-the-less: Jefffisherforcongress.com.

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/16/2004 06:47:00 PM