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MelissaB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 10:05 AM
Original message
1/2/05 Election/Fraud/Recount Thread
In order to organize and document I thought it would be a good idea to have a daily thread to place items related to the recounts/fraud. This also make it easier to "catch up" when we are away from the computer for a while.

Please help us. If you see something that isn't here post it with a link to the thread and a thanks to the author. Thanks to everyone who is helping in this project.


Link to the thread from yesterday here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x219359
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MelissaB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 11:16 AM
Response to Original message
1. The Nashua Advocate: Call to Challenge, Re-Vote Now Officially Bi-Partisan
An excerpt --

"As thousands upon thousands of progressives the nation over work diligently to encourage U.S. Senators and Congressmen to challenge official certification of George W. Bush's re-election on January 6th, they find themselves joined by an unlikely and inadvertant ally: the Washington State Republican Party."

For more, see
http://www.nashuaadvocate.blogspot.com/


The News Editor
The Nashua Advocate

P.S. The Advocate will be on hiatus for 72 hours, from January 2nd, 2005 to Janury 5th, 2005. Please stay tuned, however, for more election coverage in The Advocate starting on either the evening of the 5th or the morning of the 6th.


Thanks to nashuaadvocate here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x222444
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 12:42 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. Saturday 01/01 Highlights
Recap of stories from Saturday 01/01
(and a few from previous days)

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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 12:51 PM
Response to Original message
3. ILCA - Pro Democracy Count Every Vote Rally, Monday, January 3

Posted by : DavidSwanson on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 11:04 AM

Pro Democracy Count Every Vote Rally, Monday, January 3
By PDA, ILCA Associate Member

2:00 PM, Capitol Theater, 77 S. High Street, Columbus, OH

Columbus, OH - (Jan 2, 2005) – Tim Carpenter, Director of Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), announced that a coalition of grassroots organizations from across the nation, would hold a mass “Pro Democracy Count Every Vote Rally,” in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, January 3, 2005.

The rally, which will be held at the Capitol Theater, 77 S. High Street, across from Ohio State Capitol, begins at 2:00 PM. Coalition partners include Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, MoveOn.org, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the anti-war coalition United for Peace and Justice, PDA, Ohio State Senator Joyce Beatty, CASE Ohio and others.

Organizers say the rally, which is being held just days before the Electoral College convenes to confirm the election results, is an effort to keep the spotlight on the deepening investigation of voter irregularities in Ohio during the November 2nd Presidential election.

“The vote recount in Ohio is underway," stated Reverend Jesse Jackson. "The election challenge lawsuit has been filed, subpoenas are being prepared, and depositions are being planned. Hearings spearheaded by Congressman John Conyers are bringing forth new evidence of voter machine manipulation, and now Senator John Kerry has joined in the recount fight. We must have a thorough investigation of voter irregularities and the voter machines before Congress certifies the Electoral College vote on January 6th…Forty years ago, the Voting Rights Act was passed as a result of an independent, mass civil rights movement. We will carry forward that tradition in 2005, and continue the fight to count every vote and make sure every vote counts.”

More than half of the votes cast in Ohio were recorded on electronic voting machines owned by private corporations and which offer absolutely no audit trail. Rally organizers say they want forensic computer analysts to investigate the machines.

"We cannot expect to promote democracy around the world when we cannot even guarantee the right to vote in the state of Ohio,” said Carpenter “There are outstanding lawsuits and growing amounts of data proving votes were deliberately suppressed in Ohio. Until these issues can be fully aired by a Congressional investigation, we ask that Senators of conscience stand with the many members of the House who will contest the vote." PDA also initiated an on line petition effort urging Senators to stand with the House Representatives and challenge the vote count and avoid a repeat of the 2000 silence from the Senate.

“This will be the first of two very public rallies,” Carpenter noted. “We also plan on being present and in solidarity with many of these same groups in Washington DC on January 6th, the day Congress is scheduled to certify the vote.”

Contact: Kevin Spidel 602-373-6990



Sign Petition to US Senators

now!

Email senators now and again and again! And tell your friends!

Link to info and flyers on Jan. 3 and 6 rallies!

Link to ILCA Article:
http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1393&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 12:57 PM
Response to Original message
4. Green Daily Update: Protests in Ohio, D.C. and Nationwide

Sunday, January 2, 2005

Protests in Ohio, D.C. and Nationwide


The next week will be a crucial one for the future of democracy in this country. Those telling us to "get over it" today are the same people who did so little to fix the tainted election of 2000 that it happened again in 2004. This time, we are not going to "get over it" until the lack of fair and transparent elections is addressed. Join David Cobb, recount attorney John Bonifaz, and others in Columbus on January 3, in D.C. on January 6, or at any one of the hundreds of actions that will be taking place in your state this week as we demand that Congress reject Ohio's tainted Electoral College votes.


Link:
http://www.votecobb.org/recount/daily_update/
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 01:04 PM
Response to Original message
5. Time to Take It to the Streets, Demand That Government Enforce the Law
January 2, 2005

Time to Take It to the Streets, Where the Law-Abiding Folks Are Gathering to Demand That Government Enforce the Law



More photos:
http://fairnessbybeckerman.blogspot.com/2005/01/time-to-take-it-to-streets-where-law.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 01:36 PM
Response to Original message
6. DISENFRANCHISED OHIO VOTERS MOBILIZING FOR HISTORIC PROTEST BUS TRIP
You've seen the video,you've heard the true stories of vote fraud and the disenfranchisement of thousands of Ohioans
- now help us get them in front of the Senators!

DISENFRANCHISED OHIO VOTERS MOBILIZING FOR HISTORIC CIVIL RIGHTS,
PRO-DEMOCRACY PROTEST BUS TRIP FROM COLUMBUS TO WASHINGTON, DC



Jan. 3, 2004 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Rainbow PUSH Pro-Democracy Rally,
Capitol Theater, 77 High Street, downtown.
Columbus(across from Ohio State House).

Sponsored by Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Progressive Democrats of America
United for Peace and Justice
CASE Ohio and other organizations



1/3/2004 to 1/6/2004
Freedom Winter riders to confront legislators with personal tales
of Jim Crow-like civil rights violations, voter intimidation and
suppression suffered in Ohio on election day



U.S. (December 31, 2004) -National grassroots, pro-democracy organizations have joined in defense of fundamental democratic principles with massive rallies planned in both Columbus, Ohio on January 3 and in Washington, DC on January 6 to express concern and outrage over election day snafus which made it difficult, if not impossible, for many to vote in Ohio on November 2. Bridging these two events is the Get Up On The Bus/Freedom Winter' campaign sponsored by We Do Not Concede. In a reprise of the Freedom Summer civil rights campaign of 1964, the disenfranchised voters of Ohio will board a bus and/or caravan to Washington, DC on the morning of January 5.

"Just as Rosa Parks made a stand by claiming her seat at the front of the bus over 40 years ago," says Columbus civic leader Rev. Bill Moss, "we're traveling to DC on board the Freedom Winter bus ride to make a stand for our constitutionally-protected right to vote that was denied so many of us in Ohio."

The Get Up On The Bus campaign seeks to lobby Congress for support of the petition to challenge Ohio's electors put before the joint session on January 6. Rep. Conyers, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, appealed to the Senate on December 30 urging them to "debate and highlight the problems in Ohio which disenfranchised innumerable voters."

"We want our political leaders to have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the disenfranchised Ohio voters to hear directly from them what really happened on Election Day in urban districts in Ohio, and answer their request for equality and equal rights," says Kat L'Estrange, We Do Not Concede. "We're going to ask them directly to support Rep. Conyers and contest the Ohio vote."

We Do Not Concede is engaged in a major fundraising effort to help cover the costs of this unprecedented civil rights event to ensure all the riders can afford to go to Washington and have their voices heard. The goal is to raise $10,000 by January 3, 2005. To help with this effort, hip-hop artist, Wil B. has released a new single, "Get Up On The Bus," available online soon.

The bus will depart from Faith Ministries Church, 2747 Agler Road, Columbus, before dawn on January 5 arriving in Washington DC for a 1 o'clock press conference in the Zenger Room at the National Press Club, 529 14th St NW, 13th floor. After the press conference, the Ohio riders
will visit the Senate offices to tell their stories of disenfranchisement. The group plans to meet up with participants of the "Save Our Votes" March from Baltimore to Washington, DC at Cherry Hill Park the evening of January 5, and again on the morning of January 6 to march from Lafayette Park to the Defend Democracy Rally, Upper Senate Park at noon.

Organizations who support the Freedom Winter bus ride are encouraged to mobilize their members as quickly as possible to join in the caravan. Volunteers are welcome along every step of this historic journey. Media inquires, please contact Zack Kaldveer, 510-938-2664. For all other inquiries or to get involved, please contact Kat L'Estrange, 541-510-5646 or Sheri Myers, 310-801-1819, or visit www.donotconcede.com.


VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO DISTRIBUTE FLIERS DURING RALLY

DONATIONS TO COVER BUS RIDE EXPENSES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED!



Go to http://www.donotconcede.com/ContactUs.html
And scroll down to find the "Make A Donation" button through PayPal.

View/download Video footage of the Voter Surppresion in Ohio Election 2004 at the We Do Not Concede Coalition's website at http://www.donotconcede.com/
Order your Voter Fraud Activist Kit at http://www.marvista4peace.8k.com/StarterKit.htm.



ITINERARY

1/03/05 MONDAY - (Columbus)
10:00 AM - Rainbow PUSH Press Conference
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Rainbow PUSH Pro-Democracy Rally, Capitol Theater, 77 High Street, downtown.Columbus(across from Ohio State House).
Sponsored by Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Progressive Democrats of America
United for Peace and Justice
CASE Ohio
and other organizations

7:00 PM- 10:00 PM - We Do Not Concede Coalition Cafe Night, Screenings of Columbus Voter Fraud Footage Selma to Montgomery March photos by Allen Zak
and performance by Wil b - Hip Hop Artist (depending on theatre availability, this event may take place 1/04/05)

1/04/05 TUESDAY - (Columbus)
4:00 PM- 8:00 PM The Send-Off to DC.VOLUNTEERS NEEDED to Create Banners & Assemble Care Packages for the "Freedom Winter " Bus Riders.
Evan Davis' home: 71 West Como, Columbus, OH 43202 (in Clintonville, north of the University)

7:00 PM- 10:00 PM "Freedom Winter" Launch Party (place TBD) EVENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED HERE!


1/05/05 WEDNESDAY - (Columbus) BUS RIDE
4:30 AM Meet at Faith Ministries Church, 2747 Agler Road, Columbus, OH 43224
5:00 AM "Freedom Winter" BUS LEAVES for DC
9:30AM - 10:00 AM BRUNCH STOP: Cumberland, MD (Place TBA)
ARRIVE IN WASHINGTON, DC
1:00 PM "Freedom Winter" Ohio Bus Riders Press conference - Zenger Room, National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO GREET THE BUS!
2:00PM-5:00 PM Ohio Riders Visit Senate Offices, VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO ESCORT!
EVENING- Dinner and Tent Revival Meeting at the Cherry Hill Park with "Save Our Votes March". Overnight stay - Hotel TBD.

1/06/05 THURSDAY - (DC)
11:00 AM March from Lafayette Park (?) to Upper Senate Park with Save Our Votes marchers. EVRYONE INVITED TO JOIN US!!
12:00 PM Defend Democracy Rally, Upper Senate Park
3:00 PM "Freedom Winter" Bus departs for Columbus.


We Do Not Concede Coalition Contacts/Itinerary January 3-6, 2005

Kat L'Estrange, coordinator
kat@donotconcede.com
541-510-5646

Sheri Myers, volunteers
sheri@donotconcede.com
310-801-1819

Zack Kaldveer, communications
Zack@donotconcede.com
938-510-2664

Jonathan Simon, analysis, media/DC
VerifiedVote2004@aol.com
617-538-6012

Link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/therealihatebushfanclub/message/9463
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 01:41 PM
Response to Original message
7. Action Alert - Urge your Senator to stand with the Representatives



Urge your Senator to stand with the Representatives and contest the vote.
Help avoid a repeat of the 2000 silence from the Senate.




On January 6, 2005, the House and Senate will meet to consider the electoral vote count. Progressive members of the House Representatives will challenge the vote count based on the voting irregularities and recount efforts still underway. Urge your Senator to stand with the Representatives in order to avoid a repeat of the 2000 silence from the Senate. This action also targets potential Senators who are allies in this cause.


Use this email form from Progressive Democrats of America:
http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6770366
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 01:49 PM
Response to Original message
8. Baltimore Sun - Ohio recount highlights continuing vote trouble

Originally published January 2, 2005


Ohio recount highlights continuing vote trouble

Election: Ohio officials confirmed Bush's victory there, but revisiting the results cast light on the process

By Jules Witcover
Special To The Sun


-snip-

This time around, because Bush had won the national popular vote by 3.5 million ballots, compared with losing by 539,000 in 2000, the result reported on election night was generally accepted then. But two third-party presidential candidates, for the Green and Libertarian parties, called for the recount in Ohio, which was their right, though neither had any chance of benefiting from it.

The third-party candidates have filed a suit before a federal court in Columbus, charging that due process was violated in the recount by not assuring uniform standards in counting, and seeking preservation of all ballot and voting machines for further scrutiny. But Congress is expected to accept Ohio's chosen Bush electors when it meets to certify Bush's 34-electoral-vote margin this week.

While the long recount in Ohio did not change Bush's victory there, it did shine a spotlight once again on the troubled presidential elective process. As a result of problems uncovered in Ohio, Congress and the states must face the reality that reforms enacted in the wake of the 2000 fiasco in Florida have fallen far short of completing the job.


continued
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/perspective/bal-pe.vote02jan02,1,1469689.story?coll=bal-perspective-headlines&track=rss
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 02:03 PM
Response to Original message
9. American democracy, RIP: 1789-2005., DU & TIA are source for essay.
(This came from a newsgroup. If you find a link, please post it.)
1/2/2005

American democracy, RIP: 1789-2005.



When you think about it, 216 years is a pretty good run, as democratic
experiments go. Even so, let's all do our damnedest to keep the
experiment going. Do not go gently, and all that.

Exit polls. "TruthIsAll," the nomme-de-net of a poster on the
Democratic Underground, directs our attention to a startling new
interpretation of the exit poll figures. I hope no-one will mind if I
republish the material here.

Our attention is drawn, first and foremost, to this CNN page
displaying exit poll information. (The page takes a while to load.)
TruthIsAll then asks:

Am I reading this correctly? If I am, we have the SMOKING GUN:

1) 59% of the 17% who did NOT vote in 2000 but who did in 2004
voted for Kerry. Just 39% for Bush.

2) 65% of those who did NOT vote for Bush or Gore in 2000 voted
for Kerry. Just 13% for Bush and 16% for Nader.

3) 91% of those who voted for Gore, voted for Kerry.

4) 90% of those who voted for Bush in 2000, voted for Bush in
2004.

On the face of it, these exit numbers are just as damning as anything
to come out of the Ukraine.

More on exit polls. Dr. Steven Freeman has updated his investigation
again. This summary says it all:

National Election Pool pollsters have acknowledged that their
polls deviate from official totals by 1.9% nationwide (a 3.8% shift
from Kerry to Bush) and intimated that this deviation was caused by
disproportionate numbers of Bush voters refusing to participate in the
polls. Analysis of the available data and theory, however, strongly
suggests that at least part of the discrepancy is due to miscount.
Moreover, a review of 2004 election processes suggests little reason
for confidence that the count reflects either the intent of the
electorate or the way that the votes were cast.

I expect this claim will meet with incredulity and anger. The idea
of mass-scale electoral fraud in a US Presidential election may be
difficult to fathom - or to stomach.

The paper is a draft version, labelled "not to circulate." But it is
nonetheless on the net for anyone to read -- so read it.

Nota bene: If you've been following this controversy, you'll get a
huge kick out of part 2 of Freeman's new work, in which he skewers
"The Prevailing Theory" of the exit poll/actual tally discrepancy:
"Bush Voters' Disproportionate Refusal to Participate." (Participate
in the exit polls, that is.) In the past, I've called this the "chatty
Dem" theory, which presumes that Republicans are preternaturally
reticent to express an opinion. If you've ever met a Republican -- or
if you've ever sampled the nazified thuggery over at the "Free
Republic" site -- you'll understand why I've always considered that
presumption a gut-buster.

Freeman addresses the notion that Republicans are "busier" than
Democrats -- too busy to talk to pollsters. But as the CNN chart cited
above makes clear, the lower income groups all broke for Kerry. The
working poor have far, far less free time than do their economic
superiors.

Conyers will challenge. John Conyers will formally challenge the Ohio
slate of electors, and he will not be the only House member to do so.
Conyers believes that the flagrant illegal activity on the part of
Kenny "the kapo" Blackwell justifies discounting the Ohio electors.
The point appears indisputable, even if we restrict the argument to
the deliberately lengthened election lines in Democratic districts.

As noted, Byrd might step in as the Senator supporting this objection.
If he does, then the Bush 2005 election will always have an asterisk
next to it -- the first election in well over a century to be formally
challenged. And that, my friends, will constitute a victory of sorts.
Politics has always been a dirty game, but the Republicans have made
matters far filthier, and this gesture -- even if symbolic -- will
help awaken the world to that fact.

The recount. The recount in Ohio is over, although we have (as noted
earlier) no reason to believe that the new count was any cleaner than
the first one. Under Ohio's "three percent" rule, three percent of the
precincts in each county were to be chosen at random for a
confirmatory count; if the tallies were off, the full county would be
recounted.

The Republicans, alas, had a very elastic interpretation of the words
"at random," which they took to mean "not at random." The recount, in
short, had more "fudge room" than Willy Wonka's factory. This illegal
maneuver -- and I have cited but one among many -- alone justifies the
Conyers challenge to Ohio's electors.

Precinct cross-voting: In the past, we have discussed, briefly, how
the rotating order of names on the Ohio ballots may have helped Bush
in Ohio. The situation, we now learn, was worse than we once thought.
This fine site explains the crime in detail, with lots of graphs and
charts and all that good stuff.

The basic problem: A number of voting places served more than one
precinct. The order of the names differed between the precincts. If a
voter took a ballot into the wrong booth -- a not-infrequent
occurrence -- his Bush vote might register as a Kerry vote, or
vice-versa.

All right, you say -- but shouldn't that error skew in both
directions? Not if the problem stays within a district such a Cuyahoga
County, which heavily favors the Democratic party:

For Cuyahoga County, 602,048 votes are reported, more than 1/10 of
the Ohio vote. Since John Kerry received 66.75 percent of the vote in
this county, on average, given random events, he would lose two votes
to cross-precinct voting to every vote Bush would lose. This estimate
assumes a random distribution of cross-voting in relation to candidate
support.

The statistics indicated otherwise -- a third mystery. Why is
cross-voting unevenly distributed? Finding an answer to my question
was not going to be simple. Since the precincts in the county are not
all split 2:1 in Kerry's favor, where cross-precinct voting occurs
will impact the ratio of lost and switched votes.

There's much more. The bottom line is the the cross-precinct
phenomenon occurred primarily in Democratic areas -- and that this
phenomenon will almost always artificially boost the numbers of the
less-popular candidate.

Additional indicators of fraud. If you are looking for a single story
to send to Robert Byrd, send this Truthout expose of vote fraud in
Ohio. (If Byrd receives about a trillion copies of this piece, he'll
have to read it at least once.) I can't help passing along a choice
quote:

In the heavily Republican southern county of Perry, Blackwell
certified one precinct with 221 more votes than registered voters. Two
precincts - Reading S and W. Lexington G - were let stand in the
officially certified final vote count with voter turnouts of roughly
124% each.

In Miami County's Concord South West precinct, Blackwell certified
a voter turnout of 98.55 percent, requiring that all but 10 voters in
the precinct cast ballots. But a freepress.org canvas easily found 25
voters who said they did not vote...

By contrast, in heavily Democratic Cuyahoga County, amidst record
turnouts, a predominantly African-American precinct, Cleveland 6C, was
certified with just a 07.85 percent turnout.

Nothing suspicious here, folks.

Provisionally speaking. Here's a fun fact you may want to pass along
to your red state relatives:

Some 14.6% of Ohio votes were cast on electronic machines with no
paper trail, rendering them unauditable. But on election night,
electronic machines and computer software were used throughout the
state to tabulate paper ballots. The contrasts are striking.
Officially, Bush built a narrow margin of roughly 51% versus 48% for
Kerry based on votes counted on election night. But among the 147,400
provisional and absentee ballots that were counted AFTER election
night, Kerry received 54.46 percent of the vote. These later totals
came from counts done by hand, as opposed to counts done by computer
tabulators, many of which came from Diebold.

The story does not end there. As I've noted earlier, we have good
reason to suspect that Blackwell simply tossed out a number of
provisional ballots that went for Kerry. Allow me to repeat a point I
made on December 12:

According to an AP report, four out of every five provisional ballots
were deemed acceptable. Yet in Cuyahoga County -- Kerry country --
that figure dropped to two out of three.

In order to reach the state-wide figure, the acceptability of the
ballots must have been judged by a very, very lenient standard in
counties outside Cuyahoga.

In Bush-land, Kenny's attitude was "Provisional ballots? Sure! We love
'em! No need to examine the details very closely -- we trust the
voters!" Yet in Kerry-land, Kenny became a hard-ass: "Provisionals? I
dunno -- these things can be mighty iffy. We'd better double-check and
triple-check. Make sure the addresses and signatures are valid."

Despite this differing approach, and despite the fact that
absentee/military votes often skew Republican, Kerry won 54.46 of the
provisional/absentee ballots.

Recusal. Interestingly, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Moyer refused
to recuse himself in a case involving his own re-election. Here in
California, any party to a minor lawsuit can ask for -- and receive --
a new judge without offering any reason for the request. But in Ohio,
an elected official is allowed to decide a matter involving his own
election.

Is there a non-corrupt Republican judge anywhere in this country?


http://www.zeppscommentaries.com
For news feed, http://yahoogroups/subscribe/zepps_news
For essays (please contribute!)
http:yahoogroups/subscribe/zepps_essays

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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 02:32 PM
Response to Original message
10. Letter to Senators Murray and Cantwell

Sunday, January 02, 2005


We the People

In the past couple of weeks I've posted election theft links and petitions. Today I'm posting a letter to my Senators.


Dear Senators Murray and Cantwell,

In the past couple of weeks and days you have no doubt been bombarded with email and petitions requesting that you contest the vote in the last presidential election. I’m adding my voice to that chorus. This is not a frivolous request. It is not a request born out of partisan sour grapes, but out of concern for the very democracy our government is supposed to represent.

After the presidential election of 2000, the ensuing recount debacle and the Supreme Court intervention in the election process the HAVA legislation was passed. While the legislation may have been well intentioned, the consequences of that legislation have been devastating to the fabric of democracy. So what did the Help America Vote Act accomplish? It enabled more unverified voting to take place in the form of “voting technology”. We now have touch screen boxes, optical scanners and tabulators recording and counting our votes. Why is this a problem? It’s a problem because the companies that produce, maintain and calibrate the equipment do NOT allow the source code to be examined or tested by impartial experts. It’s a problem because the companies that produce that equipment set up the certification tests the state(s) use(s) to certify the equipment that record and count our votes. It’s a problem because there is no auditable paper trail in the case of a recount. It’s a problem because, in the case of the few machines that do produce a receipt, there is no way to verify that what is printed on the receipt is actually what the machine recorded.

Prior to the election there were several reports of groups that were moving from state to state, registering voters of one party and destroying the voter registration forms of members of the opposing party (google search). Several states (google search) purged voter rolls of eligible voters, based on flawed felon lists. A couple of Secretaries of State, while involved in the campaign of one candidate were actively interpreting laws to favor one party over another. Those are all acts of voter suppression. Why is this a big deal? The soul of democracy depends on equal representation, by disenfranchising one voter or group of voters there is no democracy. That was a problem our fore fathers had with their King George. No representation.

Since the votes were cast on Nov. 2 there have been numerous problems in many states with the vote counts and totals. The major media outlets have ignored these issues and have passed them off as conspiracy theories when they do get a mention. These are very real issues and deserve a full investigation. In Ohio there have been several suits filed by the presidential candidates to preserve vote counts, tallies, and other evidence in the recount that has taken place. There is evidence of voter suppression, in the form of long lines and lack of voting equipment that was provided in some lower income, heavily populated districts while an abundance of equipment was available in less populated affluent districts. There is evidence of vote tampering by the vote technology http://rawstory.rawprint.com/1204/conyers_triadnew_122304.php">companies.

Rep. Conyers believes that there is enough concern to have held hearings on these issues. Based on those hearings Rep. Conyers is asking for the senate to challenge and investigate the Ohio vote. I’m lending my voice to his. Challenge and investigate the vote.

It is past time that every eligible voter can cast their vote and have it counted. It is past time that this country, which holds itself up as the beacon of democracy, has non-partisan, transparent, auditable elections. It’s time that “We the people” of this country are represented. Challenge and investigate the vote.

Sincerely,

Sukabi

Send a letter to your senator.


Link:
http://allspinzone.blogspot.com/2005/01/we-people.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 03:30 PM
Response to Original message
11. Blackwell - How quickly the worm turns...
Edited on Sun Jan-02-05 03:48 PM by dzika

January 2, 2005


J. Kenneth Blackwell: A Man All for Democracy,
Except, Uh, When He’s Not

by Mark Drolette
www.dissidentvoice.org


Read the following two items carefully because there is a quiz afterwards:

1) From Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell’s op-ed, Cincinnati Post, December 8, 2004: “No, Ohio’s system of elections is not perfect…I look forward to working to improve it with those who have constructive proposals…”

2) From Associated Press, December 27, 2004: “, who declared President Bush the official winner in Ohio, is seeking a court order to keep himself from being interviewed as part of a court challenge of the Nov. 2 vote.”


OK, ready? Here goes: Pick the real J. Kenneth Stonewall -- er, Blackwell. (Hint: The answer is not an odd number.)

How quickly the worm turns (often, this is just an analogy): Secretary Blackout stayed pretty congenial on Keith Olbermann’s Countdown on November 29 when asked about Ohio’s then-upcoming recount (although he did froth a bit over Jesse Jackson, who had had the audacity to publicly question Ohio’s voting process the previous day. Secretary Blockwell asserted that “Jackson has not had the courage or the credibility to run and get elected to dog catcher”; which got me to thinkin’: in Ohio, are Diebold machines used in that contest?)

Overall, the secretary was co-operative and pleasant.

However, as Maureen Dowd points out in her book Bushworld: “The Bushes are always gracious, until they need to go ugly.” For a non-relative, Secretary Blackheart is about as Bushy as they come: he co-chaired Ohio’s Bush/Cheney re-selection campaign. And now he’s got his own ugly going.


continued
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Jan05/Drolette0102.htm

Mark Drolette is a political satirist/commentator who lives in Sacramento, California. He can be reached at: drolette@comcast.net. Copyright © 2005 Mark Drolette. All rights reserved.


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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 03:41 PM
Response to Original message
12. Dino Rossi now wants to cost the state over $4 million for a new election.

Sunday, January 2, 2005


Our Readers' Views
compiled by Columbian staff


Accept the results

Dino Rossi now wants to cost the state over $4 million for a new election. Why?

In the state Legislature he voted for the election procedure that we have just been through, an automatically triggered machine recount and the opportunity for a hand recount. This system worked.

I helped observe the recount for three days in Clark County and can attest that it was done in a very fair and accurate way. Here in Washington, we were able to trust our voting system. Now we need to accept the results and get on with the job of governing the state.


Link:
http://www.columbian.com/01022005/clark_co/228418.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 04:16 PM
Response to Original message
13. WaPo - "...there's going to be, in effect, a coronation."
(thanks to roenyc)


This is just too spooky. i thought we were the only ones calling it a coronation!


"We're not calling it an inauguration," said Jack Nargil, head concierge at the Hay-Adams Hotel, as he gazed across the street at the White House last week. "Because the president's supporters believe he has a mandate, there's going to be, in effect, a coronation."

Link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41336-2005Jan1.html


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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 04:43 PM
Response to Original message
14. Finding election data - SamSpade Internet/Network Research Tool
(thanks to luaptifer)

i've posted a compilation of links to various research tools i've found useful at various times, some may remember this link:

http://beyondcomfortablynumb.blogspot.com/2004/12/some-resources-for-newshounds-and.html

included within that compilation is the link to SamSpade for Windows.

originally i dug this up in my anti-spam efforts. Great tool for doing Whois, DNS lookups, Pings, etc.

i recently have expanded my use of it to compile lists of files available at, eg., county and state BOE websites.

i highly recommend it for some of the research we are doing right now. i'm hoping to 'crawl' a number of the FOIA'd BOE's and to post file lists here but i'm only one person. hope others will see the utility of this program and decide to download SamSpade to make this a massively parallel effort and provide access to files others may not know exist

see the Franklin County compilation, in the next post, as an example

Download SamSpade for windows here:
http://samspade.org/ssw/download.html

The author's made some of the features available through the web but check out also, a nice set of links for reference, learning, etc., here:

http://samspade.org /


Sam Spade Features
http://samspade.org/ssw/features.html

Environment

Each tool displays it's output in it's own window, and everything is multi-threaded so you don't need to wait for one query to complete before starting the next one

Some functions are threaded still further to allow lazy reverse DNS lookups (never do a traceroute -n again)

The output from each query is hotlinked, so you can right click on an email address, IP address, hostname or internic tag to run another query on it

Appending the results of a query to the log window is a single button function

There's a lot of online help, in both WinHelp and HTMLHelp formats. This includes tutorials, background information and links to online resources as well as the program manual itself

Tools
ping nslookup whois IP block whois
dig traceroute finger SMTP VRFY
web browser keep-alive DNS zone transfer SMTP relay check
Usenet cancel check website download website search email header analysis
Email blacklist query Abuse address query S-Lang scripting Time

ping
ping a network host to see if it's alive, and to see how long it takes packets to get there and back

nslookup
Find the IP address from a hostname, or vice-versa

whois
Ask a whois server who owns a domain name. Sam Spade will usually ask the right whois server automatically, or you can query a particular server. Whois queries for .com/.net/.org addresses are directed to the correct registrar automatically.

IP block whois
Ask a whois server who owns a block of IP addresses

dig
A more advanced DNS query tool. Dig asks a DNS server for all the information it has about a host

traceroute
Find the route packets take between you and a remote system. Both a slow, step-by-step mode and a fast parallel query mode are available.

finger
Lookup user information on a remote unix system

SMTP VRFY
Ask a mail-server whether an email address is real and whether it's being forwarded to other addresses. Also attempt partial delivery to a range of addresses to discover whether a given address is valid or not.

web browser
Browse the web, viewing the raw HTTP traffic rather than the rendered HTML. This lets you see the http headers and the raw HTML. Very handy for debugging CGI scripts.

It will not send any identifying information to the webserver, and by not supporting file download, java, javascript, cookies or anything else it has far fewer security holes than real browsers. As it doesn't render the HTML it makes attempts to hide information (such as hidden form fields, white-on-white text, meta fields etc.) obvious. These make it a useful tool for investigating malign websites

keep-alive
Sends http packets to your ISPs webserver every minute or so, to keep a dialup link active

DNS zone transfer
This asks a DNS server for all the information it has about a domain. It automatically finds the authoritative servers for a domain and will query one or all of them.

SMTP relay check
This checks whether a mailserver is secure. It attempts to send email back to yourself via somebody elses email server (one which you're not supposed to have access to). Hopefully it'll fail, but if it doesn't the mailserver is open to all sorts of abuse and the administrator needs to secure it

Usenet cancel check
This asks your local news-server to look for cancelled messages in a set of groups

website download
This will copy a website to disk.

website search
This searches a website for anything matching a list of patterns

email header analysis
This will check the Received lines in an email header for consistency. It can help in tracking down the true source of forged email

Blacklist lookups
This will check the Realtime Blackhole List, Dialup User List and Relayed Spam Source List to see if any of a hosts addresses are listed

abuse.net query
This will identify the email address responsible for abuse issues at a given domain using the database maintained by abuse.net

S-Lang scripting
Many features can be configured and scripted using the embedded S-Lang scripting language.

Time
Query a remote host to see what time it thinks it is, via a range of protocols including SNTP. Optionally set the local systems time via SNTP at each application startup.

http://samspade.org/ssw/features.html



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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 04:46 PM
Response to Original message
15. New Group called Grassroots Democracy starting up
(thanks to JoMama49)

I am sending a similar message to every progressive democratic
grassroots movement I can find on the Web and to the organizers -
moderators and leaders of such groups that I know.

My name is Mike Kaufman. I am the organizer of a Chicago based group
called Grassroots Democracy. We grew out of the Illinois Kerry-Edwards
grassroots movement. I presently chair the Steering Committee of this
organization. We believe that now is the time to organize the
progressive democratic base and to be a real force in the Democratic
Party.

Of course we need to continue to fight the vote fraud issue in Ohio and
elsewhere. The Bush presidency was not legitimate in 2000 and it will
not be legitimate on January 20th. But it almost certainly will happen.
We will not give up. We need a Democratic Party true to its progressive
base that will be able to fight the takeover of our United States of
America by the radical, fanatical right.

All of us need to expand our local membership base and prepare for
fights on specific issues and begin now to organize for the 2006
Congressional races, and for local elections in general. We all so must
form a national coalition of grassroots democrats and amass enough
political strength to win us a seat at the table in the politics of our
party. We are tired of losing elections that we really did win. And we
are tired of losing elections that we really should have one. The only
way to start winning is to start organizing.

There has been some talk on the listserves of a convention of
democratic grassroots movements to be held this year. As a start I
would like to propose a preliminary meeting soon of the leadership of
as many organizations as possible. There is a lot to be said for the
value of face to face discussion. I think each group should send at
least a couple of people to such meeting. I think we could arrange to
host such a meeting in Chicago - which is fairly central. We could
probably find members who would house visitors for a couple of days if
folks wanted/needed free housing. Speaking for myself I would be
willing to go anywhere to get this off the ground.

I am proposing this on my own initiative but I am pretty sure it will
be supported. I will present to our Steering Committee and to our
membership. If you agree with me please contact me. Please discuss this
on your own lists and with your own people. Please post this on as many
other lists as you have access to,

Let us start the New Year right. Let us organize so we can fight and
win.

Mike Kaufman, Ph.D.
Chair
Grassroots Democracy
312 -427 -8849
our list serve: grassrootsforum@yahoogroups.com
at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/grassrootsforum/




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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 04:49 PM
Response to Original message
16. Smoking GUNS - Please FAX Election Fraud Briefing to Senators
(thanks to IndyOp)

Check out "The Case for Fraud in Ohio Election 2004" -- it is a thorough summary of what, when, and who committed fraud from Conyers, recount observers, Moss v. Bush, affidavits, DU'ers, FreePress & AP articles and more!

If you can do some FAXing, please print the pdf version and FAX it (with a personalized cover sheet) to Senators, members of Congress, media. Please come back here and let me - and everyone else - know to whom you have sent it. (Ojai Person and StephanieMarie have already gotten started - I will post a list of Senators they covered in a reply below).

"The Case for Fraud in Ohio Election 2004" < http://www.bpac.info >.

I. Voter Suppression
A. Overly Restrictive Registration Requirements
B. Incompetence in Processing Registrations
C. Challenges to New Registrants on Insufficient Grounds
D. Misinformation About Voting Status/Location/Date
E. Voter Intimidation
F. Voting Machine Shortages/Malfunctions
G. Overly Restrictive Rules & Incorrect Procedure Regarding Provisional Ballots
H. Poorly Designed Absentee Ballots Caused Voters to Mark Incorrect Candidate

II. Access to Voting Systems Before Election Violates Protocol

III. A Third-Rate Burglary in Toledo

IV. Suspect Results
A. Registration Irregularities
B. Exceptionally High Voter Turnout
C. More Votes than Voters
D. Exceptionally High Rates of Undervotes
E. High Rate of Overvotes Due to Ballots Pre-Punched for Bush?
F. The Kerry/Connally Discrepancy
G. Discrepancy between Exit Polls & Tabulated Votes

V. Restricting Citizen Observation & Access to Public Documents
A. Warren County Lockdown
B. Restricting Citizen Access to Election Records

VI. What Went Wrong with the Recounts/Investigation of Vote Irregularities
A. Chain of Custody of Voting Machines & Materials Violated
B. Failure to Follow Established Procedures for Recounts
C. Failure to Allow Recount Observers to Fully Examine Materials
D. Secretary of State Blackwell has Failed to Answer Questions

VII. Recount Reveals Significant Problems

VIII. Methods of Election Fraud
A. Stuffing the Ballot Box
B. Touchscreen voting machines appear to have been set to “Bush” as Default
C. Computers pre-programmed to ‘adjust’ vote count in Bush’s favor?
D. Tampering with the Tabulators: Evidence of Hacking in Real-Time?

IX. Additional Observations
A. Irregular/Impossible Changes in Exit Polls over time on Election Night

======================

I do not own any of this material: It comes from Conyers' letters, Green Party recount observers, Arnebeck's lawsuit, affidavits, the FreePress website, and the work of the great people who post here at DU. USE ANY MATERIAL YOU LIKE IN ANY WAY THAT WILL HELP THE CAUSE. I posted it in ".doc" format so that anyone who wants to use any portion of it for any good purpose can cut and paste and run with it.

If you have suggestions for very important information that should be added or corrected let me know!




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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 04:54 PM
Response to Original message
17. PRESS CONFERENCE IN CLEVELAND TOMORROW 1/2/04!!!
(thanks to JoMama49)

Rev. Jackson and Cong. Tubbs-Jones to hold press conference in Cleveland Sunday January 2nd at 2 PM
Rev. Jesse Jackson has announced that he and Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones will hold a press conference at 2 pm on Sunday, January 2nd, at the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, 88th and Quincy in Cleveland.
Posted by Ray Beckerman @ 12:54 AM

Shall we blast the media with this, or find out how we can listen to this press conf? Should we ask C-Span to carry it?




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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 05:45 PM
Response to Original message
18. The New Hanging Chads

Jan. 10, 2005


The New Hanging Chads
By JULIE RAWE SANDEEP KAUSHIK; JEFFREY RESSNER


A recount has confirmed that George W. Bush won in Ohio, though Jesse Jackson last week lent his support to a lawsuit challenging the results because of irregularities. But it isn't the only place where ballots were being scrutinized:

San Diego's unbubbled ovals After Mayor Dick Murphy beat write-in candidate Donna Frye by 2,108 votes, a recount turned up 5,547 ballots that had been rejected because voters who wrote in her name failed to fill in the oval next to it. As Murphy, a Republican, was sworn in for a second term last month, Frye told TIME, "I doubt I'll be going gently into that good night."

Washington's signature scans When Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi edged out attorney general Christine Gregoire by a mere 42 votes in an automatic machine recount, the Democrats raised $750,000 to count the votes again by hand. This uncovered 573 ballots that had been rejected owing to problems with scanning voter signatures in a heavily Democratic district. When Republicans failed in an effort to block those votes from being counted, Gregoire won by 129 votes. As Rossi called for a new election last week, a Democratic spokeswoman scoffed: "This isn't a video game where you can go and feed in more quarters."

Montana's double-marked ballots With control of the state legislature hinging on a three-way contest in Lake County, Democrat Jeanne Windham and the Constitution Party's Rick Jore wound up in a 1,559-to-1,559 tie. But those totals included seven ballots marked for both Jore and the Republican also-ran--votes that recount officials awarded to Jore. The Montana Supreme Court last week threw out "one or more" of the double-marked ballots, thus handing victory to Windham and the statehouse to the Democrats.

Link:
http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1013245,00.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 05:50 PM
Response to Original message
19. On Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C.: Tell Bush: We Will Stop Voter Disenfranchis

Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 03:01 PM


On Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C.: Tell Bush: We Will Stop Voter Disenfranchisement!
By Nov3.us

Tell Congress: Stand Up for Democracy!

On January 6, 2005 Congress will meet in joint session to certify the 2004 presidential election.

On that day, if one member of the House and one member of the Senate object to the certification of the vote, then all members of Congress will finally discuss these issues. On January 6, 2001, not a single Senator would join with the Representatives who demanded an inquiry into the Florida recount. This year, let's make our Senators take a stand!

Join Medea Benjamin, John Bonifaz, David Cobb, Congressman John Conyers (invited), Alysia Fischer, George Friday, Rev. Jesse Jackson (invited), Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (invited), Rev. Lennox Yearwood and many others as we: Rally at 10:00 a.m. in Lafayette Park across from the White House. We will then! march to Capitol Hill to join with others at the U.S. Capitol at noon.

We need an investigation into the Ohio vote on November 2, the seriously problematic "recount," partisan, discriminatory decisions made by the Secretary of State, electronic voting machine fraud, not enough machines in predominantly Black precincts, and all of the other ways that voters were disenfranchised in the USA.

While our Senators and Representatives are inside Congress, tallying the electoral college vote, We the People must have a presence outside, bringing attention to the disenfranchisement, suppression and fraud that pervaded the 2004 election - and demanding real reforms to extend and protect democracy in the U.S. Please join us on January 6 in Washington, DC. Check http://www.nov3.us, http://www.votecobb.org, http://www.counter-inaugural.org or http://www.pdamerica.org for more information.

Leading up to the January 6 events there will be a major rally in Columbus, Ohio on January 3 at 2 p.m. organized by Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and other groups. For more information go to http://www.rainbowpush.org.

If you can't come to DC, we urge you to organize an action on January 4 or 5 at a Senator's office in your community, and list your event at http://www.nov3.us. And on January 6 let?s flood the Senate with calls all morning and afternoon; the Capitol Hill information number is 202-224-3121.

If the Ukraine can have a re-vote, why can't the U.S. have at least an investigation into vote suppression?


Link:
http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1394&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 06:53 PM
Response to Original message
20. Vote Fraud News - New Year's Update
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 08:24 PM
Response to Original message
21. Dave Barry - Kerry easily sweeps to a landslide victory in the exit polls

Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, January 2, 2005

Cracked rear-view
Dave Barry takes one last look back at a loony year
By Dave Barry


Looking back on 2004, there's no question it was bad. Consider:

* We somehow managed to hold a presidential election campaign that for several months was devoted almost entirely to the burning issue of: Vietnam.

-snip-

In other international news, Afghanistan's historic first democratic elections go off without a hitch, except for the presence an unexplained 27,500 votes from residents of Palm Beach County, Fla.

Speaking of elections, in ...

November ... the 2004 U.S. presidential election campaign, which has been going on since the early stages of the Cher Farewell Tour, finally staggers to the finish line. Kerry easily sweeps to a 53-state landslide victory in the exit polls and has pretty much picked out his new Cabinet when word begins to leak out that the actual, physical voters have elected George W. Bush. Democrats struggle to understand how this could have happened, and, after undergoing a harsh and unsparing self-examination, conclude that red-state residents are morons.

The post-election recriminations and name-calling continue for more than a week, until finally the public, realizing that there are still important issues that affect the entire nation, returns its attention to the Peterson trial, which finally ends with the jury finding him guilty of being just unbelievably irritating.


Link:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifestyle/story/11902629p-12789579c.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 09:18 PM
Response to Original message
22. No Stolen Democracy - Important Ohio Documents

January 02, 2005


Important Ohio Documents


Transcript of December 13th Testimony at Congressional Hearing in Columbus, Including Clinton Curtis Sworn Testimony:
http://www.freepress.org/images/departments/Congressional.pdf

List prepared by Secretary of State of distribution of voting machines in Ohio:
http://www.freepress.org/images/departments/machine_distribution.pdf


Expert Witness Testimony submitted by petitioners in election contest litigation:

Dr. Ron Baiman
http://freepress.org/images/departments/Dep_Baiman.pdf

Dr. Werner Lange
http://freepress.org/images/departments/Dep_Lange.pdf

Dr. Richard Hayes Phillips
http://freepress.org/images/departments/Dep_Phillips.pdf


Link:
http://nostolendemocracy.typepad.com/blog/2005/01/important_ohio_.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 09:21 PM
Response to Original message
23. No Stolen Democracy - Ohio Public Hearing Transcripts
Edited on Sun Jan-02-05 09:21 PM by dzika

January 02, 2005

Ohio Public Hearing Transcripts



Transcript of testimony from November 13th hearing at New Faith Baptist Church, Columbus, Ohio:
http://freepress.org/images/departments/4254PublicHearing.txt


Transcript of testimony from November 15th hearing at Franklin County Courthouse:
http://freepress.org/images/departments/4263PublicHearing.txt


Link:
http://nostolendemocracy.typepad.com/blog/2005/01/ohio_public_hea.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 09:32 PM
Response to Original message
24. Support NM Recount Press Conference & Rally on Wednesday in ABQ
Edited on Sun Jan-02-05 09:39 PM by dzika

Saturday, January 01, 2005


From Casey Reed:

On Wednesday, January 5, at NOON at the Press Club in Albuquerque:



Help America Recount will be providing the evidence of highly suspect machine incidents at the press conference / rally (bring your signs)

The address is 201 Highland Park Dr. SE. Members of the public are welcome. Take 1-25 south to the Dr. Martin Luther King exit, turn right at the light. You'll be heading toward Memorial hospital. Turn South on Elm. Elm turns into Highland Park circle. It's a Log Cabin. Click here for map.


REMINDER: CRITICAL ACTION STEP FOR NEXT WEEK !!!!

Call Senator Bingaman TODAY to urge him to support Congressman John Conyers' challenge to the January 6th electoral vote count. See our previous post about this by clicking here.

Also, continue calls to the Governor's office (505) 476-2200 *** Give us the 10% option ... recount 10% of the vote / we pay cash !

And continue calls to the Secretary of State's office (Rebecca Vigil-Jiron) ... (505) 827-3600


NOTE: CALLS FROM OUT OF STATE ARE WELCOME !!!


Please email recount@newmexico.com with suggestions of how to make our efforts successful !!!

Mitch Buszek
NM State Coordinator
Help America Recount
(505) 204--0833


Link:
http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/2005/01/nm_recount_pres.html

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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 10:19 PM
Response to Original message
25. What Are You? An Election Girlie Man?

Sunday, January 02, 2005


What Are You? An Election Girlie Man?


If you are a US citizen, today is the day you get up off your ass and say somethng about election criminals!

I don't care which party you associate with, there are criminals pissing all over our elections and they must be held accountable. There are liars, cheats, and outright thieves who need to be rounded up and indicted. These dark souls may believe their cause justified the means, but they are wrong.

On Thursday, January 6th, at 1PM Congress will convene to count the electoral votes of the 2004 presidential election. They are bound by the Constitution to hear and consider written protest of the election (with provisions) for a limited time of 2 hours.

Clear, supportable allegations of election fraud have come to light and they deserve to be addressed

Are we going to sit by and accept cynical, low standards of democracy?

Are we going to let criminals roam our elections?

Give your Congressperson a call ASAP and let them know you want them to be tough on election crime.

Here is a source if you feel like doing something else, like, publicly protest this travesty of democracy: http://blog.democrats.com/protest

The criminals are in charge, but that doesn't mean we have to sit by quietly and let it happen.


Link:
http://thecriminalsareincharge.blogspot.com/2005/01/what-are-you-election-girlie-man.html
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berniew1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 10:58 PM
Response to Original message
26. Documentation of fraud and suppression: case grows stronger
Widespread vote machine fraud has been documented in Florida in the big touchscreen counties, as well as voter suppression of minorities. Similar to the widespread voter suppression and fraud that has been documented in Ohio and New Mexico.
The problems appear large enough to swing all 3 states, as implied by the exit poll data- for which a new version is circulating today with strong evidence Kerry won the election. Exit poll data on voting groups.

Documentation for Ohio is at: http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19

and http://northnet.org/minstrel/alpage.htm

Documentation of the widespread Florida vote machine fraud is at: http://www.flcv.com/fraudpat.html


Newly released Media Exit Poll:

1) 59% of the 17% who did NOT vote in 2000 but who did in 2004 voted for Kerry. Just 39% for Bush.

2) 65% of those who did NOT vote for Bush or Gore in 2000 voted for Kerry. Just 13% for Bush and 16% for Nader.

3) 91% of those who voted for Gore, voted for Kerry.

4) 90% of those who voted for Bush in 2000, voted for Bush in 2004.

5) 20% (approx) of all voters are new voters. Of these voters according to the exit polls 65% voted Kerry and 35% voted Bush

6)The exit poll from the South shows Kerry won 64% of the Hispanic Vote.


7) Kerry's margin of victory was INCREASING, not decreasing as the day grew later


Some common myths regarding need tor adjustment dispelled by the Newly Released poll data:

1. The earlier exit poll numbers oversampled women.

Wrong. The 7:30 p.m. exit poll numbers consisted of 54% women and 46% men. The final exit poll numbers included the exact same percentages.

2. The earlier exit poll numbers oversampled minorities.

Wrong. The 7:30 p.m. exit poll numbers consisted of 11% blacks and 9% hispanics. The final exit poll numbers included 11% blacks and 8% hispanics.

3. The earlier exit poll numbers oversampled democrats (i.e., republicans voted later in the day).

Wrong. The 7:30 p.m. exit poll numbers consisted of 38% democrats, the final exit poll numbers consisted of 37%.

4. The earlier exit poll numbers undersampled rural voters.

Wrong. The 7:30 p.m. exit poll numbers consisted of 16% rural voters, same as the final exit poll numbers.


Newly Released Exit polls also show Kerry won in all major groups of voters except in the South

HORIZONTAL WEIGHTED
PARTYID Vertical Bush Kerry Nader Bush Kerry Nader
Dem 38% 9% 90% 1% 3.4% 34.2% 0.4%
Repub 36% 92% 7% 0% 33.1% 2.5% 0.0%
Indep 26% 45% 52% 2% 11.7% 13.5% 0.5%

100% 48.2% 50.2% 0.9%

IDEOLOGY
Liberal 22% 12% 86% 1% 2.6% 18.9% 0.2%
Moderate 45% 41% 57% 1% 18.5% 25.7% 0.5%
Conserv 33% 82% 16% 1% 27.1% 5.3% 0.3%

100% 48.2% 49.9% 1.0%

RELIGION
Protestant 53% 56% 43% 1% 29.7% 22.8% 0.5%
Catholic 27% 49% 50% 1% 13.2% 13.5% 0.3%
Jewish 3% 23% 77% 0% 0.7% 2.3% 0.0%
Other 7% 20% 75% 4% 1.4% 5.3% 0.3%
None 11% 29% 70% 1% 3.2% 7.7% 0.1%

100% 48.2% 51.6% 1.2%


MILITARY
Yes 18% 55% 43% 1% 9.9% 7.7% 0.2%
No 82% 46% 53% 1% 37.7% 43.5% 0.8%

100% 47.6% 51.2% 1.0%

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/pdfs/Mitofsky4zonedata /
http://www.appliedresearch.us/sf/epdiscrep.htm
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Wilms Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-02-05 11:39 PM
Response to Original message
27. New Mexico Recount Info
A thread originally posted by Phusion.

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x224796>

Some highlights include:

To insure a debate in Washington, D.C. re: the legitimacy of Ohio's count, we need Seanator Bingaman to challenge the Electoral College Delegation. Contact the Senator's office ASAP and ask him to support the Conyers effort. Ask Sen. Bingaman to speak up on January 6th and "to object to the counting of the Ohio votes, due to numerous unexplained irregularities in the Ohio presidential vote, many of which appear to violate both federal and state law."

Senator Jeff Bingaman
FAX (202) 224-2852
PHONE (202) 224-5521
Capitol Switchboard 1-800-839-5276
www.senate.gov/~bingaman (for email using his form)
senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov (for email without his form)

Faxing him would be best at this point. This is also the time to call Bingaman's field rep in your area.
(For the Las Vegas, NM area, the number is (505) 454-8824.)

#5 Continue calls to the Governor's office (505) 476-2200 *** "Give us the 10% option ... recount 10% of the vote / we pay cash !"

#6 Continue calls to the Secretary of State's office (Rebecca Vigil-Jiron) ... (505) 827-3600

NOTE: CALLS FROM OUT OF STATE ARE WELCOME !!!

-more-
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 12:38 AM
Response to Original message
28. Recount saga continues in Ohio

Published 01-03-05

Recount saga continues in Ohio



In Focus
Chris Graham
chris@augustafreepress.com


-snip-

Tomorrow morning, a march led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson will commence south of Baltimore aimed squarely at Washington, D.C.

The Save Our Votes Rally will end up with marchers assembling outside the United States Capitol on Thursday as the U.S. Senate prepares to certify the results of the Nov. 2 election.

Cobb and Libertarian Party presidential candidate Michael Badnarik hope to have something to say about what the Senate is about to do as well. The complaint filed in federal court on Dec. 30 demands that the recount of votes cast in November be done in conformance with state and federal law.

-snip-

With the Ohio results still not final, it would be inappropriate for Congress to certify the presidential vote, especially while it is the subject of pending litigation in federal court," Cobb said.


More
http://www.augustafreepress.com/stories/storyReader$30252
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truthpusher Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 01:25 AM
Response to Original message
29. Columbus, Ohio - Count Every Vote Rally, Monday, January 3
on edit: Flier link: http://www.ilcaonline.org/voterallyflyer.pdf

http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1393&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
Pro Democracy Count Every Vote Rally, Monday, January 3

By PDA, ILCA Associate Member

2:00 PM, Capitol Theater, 77 S. High Street, Columbus, OH

Columbus, OH - (Jan 2, 2005) – Tim Carpenter, Director of Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), announced that a coalition of grassroots organizations from across the nation, would hold a mass “Pro Democracy Count Every Vote Rally,” in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, January 3, 2005.

The rally, which will be held at the Capitol Theater, 77 S. High Street, across from Ohio State Capitol, begins at 2:00 PM. Coalition partners include Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, MoveOn.org, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the anti-war coalition United for Peace and Justice, PDA, Ohio State Senator Joyce Beatty, CASE Ohio and others.

Organizers say the rally, which is being held just days before the Electoral College convenes to confirm the election results, is an effort to keep the spotlight on the deepening investigation of voter irregularities in Ohio during the November 2nd Presidential election.

“The vote recount in Ohio is underway," stated Reverend Jesse Jackson. "The election challenge lawsuit has been filed, subpoenas are being prepared, and depositions are being planned. Hearings spearheaded by Congressman John Conyers are bringing forth new evidence of voter machine manipulation, and now Senator John Kerry has joined in the recount fight. We must have a thorough investigation of voter irregularities and the voter machines before Congress certifies the Electoral College vote on January 6th…Forty years ago, the Voting Rights Act was passed as a result of an independent, mass civil rights movement. We will carry forward that tradition in 2005, and continue the fight to count every vote and make sure every vote counts.”

More than half of the votes cast in Ohio were recorded on electronic voting machines owned by private corporations and which offer absolutely no audit trail. Rally organizers say they want forensic computer analysts to investigate the machines.

"We cannot expect to promote democracy around the world when we cannot even guarantee the right to vote in the state of Ohio,” said Carpenter “There are outstanding lawsuits and growing amounts of data proving votes were deliberately suppressed in Ohio. Until these issues can be fully aired by a Congressional investigation, we ask that Senators of conscience stand with the many members of the House who will contest the vote." PDA also initiated an on line petition effort urging Senators to stand with the House Representatives and challenge the vote count and avoid a repeat of the 2000 silence from the Senate.

“This will be the first of two very public rallies,” Carpenter noted. “We also plan on being present and in solidarity with many of these same groups in Washington DC on January 6th, the day Congress is scheduled to certify the vote.”

http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1393&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0


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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 02:33 AM
Response to Original message
30. Exit Polls and The Case for Election Fraud in the 2004 National Election

12/5/2004 12:47:01 AM (UTC)


The Growing Case for Election Fraud in the 2004 National Election



In the month following the 2004 U.S. national election, there have been widescale investigations into the legitimacy of the reported results due in large part to the discrepancies between historically accurate exit polls and the reported election results. The disagreement between the exit polls and the reported results must lead to one of two conclusions: either the exit polls are flawed, or the official election tallies are incorrect. To determine which is the case, the methodologies of both should be examined to discover which is more likely to produce erroneous conclusions. While most major media reports have concluded that the fault lies in the exit polls, an detailed examination of the methodology of these two techniques yields a preponderance of evidence that it is actually the official election results that are inaccurate.

Exit polls have been established as an incredibly accurate method of determining the electorate's will. As such, they are used across the world to verify the integrity of elections, and discrepancies between these polls and the official results are a major factor in the current controversy in Ukraine.

The exit polls in the US on November 2nd showed John Kerry with a significant margin of victory in almost all of the "battleground" states. This margin held until precincts began reporting their preliminary results. However, at this point the national media outlets began averaging these reported results with the actual exit polls, tainting the data. Fortuitously, a computer glitch at CNN allowed the original exit poll data to remain online for an extended period, during which time it was downloaded for future analysis.

A statistical analysis by Dr. Steven Freeman of the University of Pennsylvania found that the exit poll data differed from the reported results by a significant amount in favor of President Bush. This statistically significant "red shift" occurred in nearly all states, with the largest difference in gross votes occurring in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, all considered key states for victory in the electoral college.

There have been four major challenges to the exit polls raised in response to this discrepancy. The first is a study by groups at Caltech and MIT that asserts that the exit polls did not actually differ significantly from the official tallies. However, this study used the final data released as "exit polls" by the networks, which had been tainted by introducing the official tallies into the averages. Second is the argument that the sampling for the exit polls was biased towards Democrats, as women (the majority of whom vote Democratic) tend to vote earlier in the day than men. However, the Freeman study accounted for this and still found that the difference between the exit polls and official counts was significant.

The other two attacks on the exit polls range from the highly improbably to the meaningless. Some have insinuated that the exit polling companies altered their results to falsely favor Kerry in a partisan attempt to undermine the election. This is extremely unlikely, as most of the exit polls are conducted by commercial groups as a business service to the media networks. Altering the polls in the manner implied would not only be a poor business decision, as it would make the pollsters look incompetent, but might also very well be seen as a breach of contract by their clients if evidence of such acts were ever discovered. Finally there are those who say that anyone questioning the results of the election are "whiny losers", a completely meaningless bout of name-calling that does nothing to further the debate and only serves to distract from the serious issues involved.

Having failed to find significant methodological errors in the exit polls, the next step is then to examine the elections systems for evidence of error and/or fraud. Unsurprisingly there are myriad counts of both, and furthermore, the errors are not evenly distributed between the candidates (as would be expected of truly random mistakes), but instead overwhelmingly favor President Bush's reelection.

Much has been said about the proliferation of electronic voting machines in this election, and they provide some of the most eyebrow-raising cases of error in this election. For example, a machine in Ohio recorded almost 4,000 more votes for Bush than there were in the district, and one in a heavily Democratic district in North Carolina stopped counting votes in the middle of the day with little or no warning, leading to the loss of an estimated 4,500 votes. There are additional reports from across the country of machines that defaulted to a vote for Bush, or even refused to accept a vote for Kerry.

The next series of problems with the election results are generally suspicious activities of a more traditional nature. Democratic ballots across the country were declared "spoiled", meaning filled out invalidly, at a rate double that of Republicans, and in some counties the spoilage rates for Democrats were as high as 25%, compared to a 3% average for Republicans - 93,000 Democratic votes spoiled in Ohio alone. Democratic precincts were also prone to being under-supplied with voting machines, leading to long lines and voters leaving in frustration. It has also been discovered that Miami County in Ohio recently added 19,000 votes to its election totals that officials claimed had been "missed" in the initial count, all of which were for Bush. Finally, in Warren County, Ohio, the building where votes were being counted was locked down to exclude the public and press on the basis of a "terrorist threat" of which neither the FBI nor the Ohio Secretary of State has any knowledge.

Other emerging pieces of evidence have been revealed from closer inspections of the ballots. In Ohio and New Mexico, Democratic judicial candidates received hundreds of thousands more votes than Kerry did for president. Also in Ohio, some Democratic districts reported unusually high totals for third party candidates, including the right-wing anti-immigrant Constitution Party candidate. In Colorado, the Democratic Senate candidate received approximately 100,000 more votes than Kerry did for president. And in Florida, nearly all of the counties with one particular type of optical scan voting machines (similar to the Scantrons used for standardized testing) showed an enormous "red shift" from registered voters to actual votes cast. In this shift, registered Democrats are reported to have voted overwhelmingly for Bush. This swing was not present in counties that did not use these type of voting machines.

Finally, the biggest question mark in the integrity of the election process are the central tabulation servers where voting totals from across the states are summed and then reported. This tabulation can be altered without any trace by anyone who can gain access to the database that stores the vote totals. These computers run the voting tabulator program on a normal Windows PC, and as such are as vulnerable to illegal remote access as any home computer. Additionally, anyone who has physical access to the computer alter the vote with even less effort. This tampering is so simple that a demonstration is available at www.votergate.tv showing a trained chimp altering an election with no evidence left behind.

All of these incidents, which are only a small portion of those that are known to have occurred, paint an incriminating picture of the election process in the 2004 national election. It is increasingly likely, as more evidence has accumulated, that fraud did occur and that accurate results would show that John Kerry held the majority of votes for president. While initially (and by most major media outlets, continually) dismissed as an Internet conspiracy theory, the mounting evidence is beginning to draw attention from politicians. The House Judiciary Committee has written a letter to Kenneth Blackwell, the Ohio Secretary of State, demanding that he explain the most egregious of the voting problems in his state.

Even if this investigation yields no tangible results in the form of an altered election decision or an impeachment, the true account of what occurred is still of immense practical importance. In the days following the election, there was a call for further efforts to spread the Democratic party message to those who were not in agreement with it. While this is still a noble and worthy cause, the doubt over these election results implies that it is just as important, if not more so, to ensure that the next election cannot be as rife with fraud as this one.

Notes: Those seeking further information about the ongoing investigation should start by going to www.blackboxvoting.org, www.blackboxvoting.com, and votersunite.org. Also, www.thomhartmann.com has some excellent articles summarizing the problems and potential political solutions. It should be noted that although I (along with most of those involved in the investigation) have focused here on the presidential election, there is similar evidence of Congressional fraud across the country.


Link:
http://www.thepq.net/profile.aspx?User=2

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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 03:05 AM
Response to Original message
31. Pacifica Radio - Unfinished Business: the 2004 Election



Sunday Salon
SundaySalon.org

today on Sunday Salon:

- Unfinished Business: the 2004 Election and the Occupation of Iraq;

- Disinformation and Disaster in Iraq;

- Disaster: the Tsunami and Its Aftermath

Listen to the show | Help

stream (.mp3): stream

or download (.mp3): http://209.81.10.18/data/20050102-Sun0900.mp3">download



First Hour: "Unfinished Business: the 2004 Election and the Occupation of Iraq"; "Disinformation and Disaster in Iraq."


Part One: "Unfinished Business: the 2004 Election and the Occupation of Iraq" Countdown to 1/6/05, the U.S. Senate electoral college ratification session. Guests include: Judy Bertelson, MD, PhD; Sheila Parks, Boston Coalition Against Election Fraud http://caef.us/; Judy Gallo, Greater Cleveland Voter Registration Coalition.

For related news and upcoming events, including the Monday Jan 6 rally at Barbara Boxer's office, see US Voting Integrity Project (www.usvip.org). Also, nostolendemocracy.typepad.com is a clearing house for information on getting Senators not to certify the electoral vote.

Part Two: "Disinformation and Disaster in Iraq." Guest: Professor Richard Falk, Princeton and UC Santa Barbara, co-author, "The Record of the Paper: How the New York Times Misreports US Foreign Policy" (Verso).



Link:
http://www.pacifica.org/programs/sundaysalon/050102.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 03:30 AM
Response to Original message
32. Hawaii Election System - irregularities, illegalities, arrogance

January 3, 2005

Trade liberty for safety or money and you'll end up with neither. Liberty, like a grain of salt, easily dissolves.
The power of questioning -- not simply believing -- has no friends. Yet liberty depends on it.



Three Short 2005 Vignettes


-snip-

More on 2005: The Election System

Having studied the Hawaii Election System thoroughly and, in the process, learned too much about other states' election systems, I called it "System Impossible."

From registration through results we stumbled into and tripped over irregularities, illegalities, arrogance and can't-do bureaucracies. With patching and Band-Aid approaches, system impossible is held together with bailing wire, chewing gum and spit. Built in accretions from old-time mark-a-paper-ballot and count-by-hand processes up to but not including purely electronic Direct Recording machines, it creaked, groaned, cranked and coughed up "results." The Hawaii results, as fortunately no races were close, were a reasonable approximation given no one questioned them. Nobody noticed the cobbled-together data until way late of requirements to report.

Few realize that the transition from semi-paper ballot voting to all electronic voting is not an evolutionary step. It is a revolutionary change. To accommodate, elections systems must also be revolutionized. They must be taken apart. Each part must be examined in relationship to the new actualities. Then a new, relevant election system can emerge which is in tune with the times.

A recent report examined a number of significant crises including the 9/11 episode. The premise was that most crises announce themselves long in advance of happening. In terms of 9/11, we know from studies that clues abounded and patterns emerged years in advance. The report asked the question, "Who is watching?" Other than fifteen minutes of media distortions, who cares enough to do something?

Elections systems nation-wide, world-wide, have loudly and clearly screamed for years now. The once United States of America slumbers on. After the 2000 debacle which focused on Florida, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act of 2002. HAVA, as analyzed then and clearly understood now, aided and abetted crises by layering on state and county systems the Direct Recording Electronic voting machines. Many will argue, and I would join them, that this layer is the one that broke the system.

Those with a mind to manipulate elections, of whom there seem to be many, understand that diddling starts with registration and ends with results. Post-2004, examples of ever-fresh schemes layered onto the old schemes grew exponentially. If ever there has been or will be a crisis announcing itself, election systems in the once United States of America are hitting peaks of decibels.

On Hawaii's election system alone, we now have a pile more than four feet high of documentation. Yet, we cannot get anyone of consequence to do more than hastily nod and smile in response. State Attorney General? Forget it! Deputy U.S. Attorney General? Are you kidding? Print and broadcast media? Hardly a twitter. State senators and representatives? Less than a twitter. Not even a slightly raised eyebrow. Political parties? Duhhhh! Whitewash by the gallons was quickly poured over any hints of problem.

Banana republics and once Soviet states are now miles ahead of the once United States of America with efforts to reform and to protect elections systems.

Hello! A huge redwood just fell in your woods. Hello?


Link:
http://www.swans.com/library/art11/mgc145.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 03:45 AM
Response to Original message
33. ReDefeatBush Holds 'Rallies for the Republic' in Boston and San Francisco

1/2/2005 7:26:00 PM

ReDefeatBush Holds 'Rallies for the Republic' in Boston Monday and San Francisco Tuesday to Mobilize Support for Challenge of Electors



To: National and Assignment desks, Political Reporter

Contact: Stephen Gaskill, 202-257-9298; Web: http://www.redefeatbush.com

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Committee to ReDefeat the President, a federal PAC better known by the name of its popular ReDefeatBush.com Web site, is organizing "Rallies for the Republic" on Monday, Jan. 3, in Boston (7:00 PM at Fanueil Hall) and on Tuesday, Jan. 4, in San Francisco (7:00 at the Herbst Theater).

On Monday ReDefeatBush will announce the final hearing on Capitol Hill before Members gather for a joint session on Thursday at 1:00 to consider and count the electoral votes in the 2004 Presidential election. Starting at noon on Thursday ReDefeatBush will be holding a rally entitled "Defend Democracy, Support the Challenge" in Upper Senate Park next to the U.S. Capitol. Rev. Jesse Jackson has been invited and is expected to attend. Confirmed attendees include Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb, Columbus OH School Board member Rev. Bill Moss, Bev Harris of Black Box Voting, which has uncovered compelling evidence of fraud in Volusia County, FL, former Congressman Peter Deutsch, whose term concludes tomorrow, voting rights activist Granny D, and Clint Curtis, the Florida whistleblower who has testified that he was asked by Congressman Tom Feeney's to create the software necessary to modify the results of electronic voting machines.

Preparations are underway for a public forum on Wednesday afternoon at the Capitol at which Deutch will publicly question some of the key witnesses to activities that may have surpassed the boundaries of normal partisanship and crossed over into illegal activity.

ReDefeatBush's first Rally for the Republic is in Boston on Monday, Jan. 3, at 7:00 PM at Fanueil Hall. In addition to Lytel, former Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Pat Lemarche will speak, as well Tom Barbera, one of the Massachusetts electors; Faye Morrison, a Selectwoman in Ayre who has worked with Election Protection in several states; Donna Palermino, attorney who will speak on the legal aspects of the challenge and Jonathan Simon, a lawyer and investigator who has done original research work on the 2004 election results.

On Tuesday, Jan. 4, Lytel will be at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco at 7:00 Herbst Theater along with some recent graduates of the Electoral College in California and Emily Levy, who will report on her work with statistician Richard Hayes Phillips about anomalies in the results in Ohio. Music and humor will be provided by Electile Dysfunction. Linda Bryket's 24 minute film on what happened in Columbus, OH on election day entitled video the vote will be shown at both events.

ReDefeatBush has a quarter page advertisement on the Federal Page of the Washington Post on Monday and this week is putting out a 20,000 piece mailing asking for financial support for its activities.

http://www.usnewswire.com/


Link:
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=41128
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 03:49 AM
Response to Original message
34. Rally In Columbus Monday For National Election Reform

1/3/2005 12:48:41 AM


Rally In Columbus Monday For National Election Reform



Reported by: AP
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Photographed by: 9News


A group will rally in Columbus Monday in favor of national election reform and to call attention to Thursday's joint session of Congress where its expected to certify the election results.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson and some state lawmakers are expected at the rally.

Jackson and US Representative Stephanie Tubbs-Jones spoke in Cleveland Sunday.

Tubbs-Jones and Jackson say they're trying to call attention to voting irregularities in Ohio.

Tubbs-Jones says the recount wasn't handled properly.

continued
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2005/local/01/02/ohio_votes.html

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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 04:10 AM
Response to Original message
35. Demonstrators Mobilize Under a Slew of Causes

Monday, January 3, 2005; Page B01


Demonstrators Mobilize Under a Slew of Causes
Factions Plan Protests Over Several Days
(Factions!!)

By Manny Fernandez
Washington Post Staff Writer


-snip-


The battle between protesters and authorities has already begun. One group, International ANSWER, is preparing to sue the National Park Service over access to the Pennsylvania Avenue NW inaugural route. Demonstrators also are complaining about Secret Service restrictions on parade-route signs and displays, including a ban on puppets, papier-mache objects, coffins and signs more than three feet wide, 20 feet long and a quarter-inch thick.

"We think it's an illegal and unconstitutional overstepping by the Secret Service, working on behalf of the Bush administration, to prevent anti-Bush banners and signs from being visible along the parade route," said Brian Becker, national coordinator for ANSWER, an antiwar, anti-racism coalition.

-snip-

The battle between protesters and authorities has already begun. One group, International ANSWER, is preparing to sue the National Park Service over access to the Pennsylvania Avenue NW inaugural route. Demonstrators also are complaining about Secret Service restrictions on parade-route signs and displays, including a ban on puppets, papier-mache objects, coffins and signs more than three feet wide, 20 feet long and a quarter-inch thick.

-snip-

"We think it's an illegal and unconstitutional overstepping by the Secret Service, working on behalf of the Bush administration, to prevent anti-Bush banners and signs from being visible along the parade route," said Brian Becker, national coordinator for ANSWER, an antiwar, anti-racism coalition.

-snip-

(buried on the second page, at the end of a paragraph,
WaPo almost manages an entire sentence about Election
Fruad Protest. Thanks for the coverage.)


...Others say their main reason for attending is opposition to the USA Patriot Act or alleged Election Day fraud.

David Lytel, founder of the Committee to ReDefeat the President, said the group is organizing a rally at the Jefferson Memorial and is planning other events focused on raising questions about voter irregularities and the 2004 election.


continued
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43134-2005Jan2_2.html
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 04:21 AM
Response to Original message
36. Boston Globe - Looking for glimmers of hope
(what's up with the Boston Globe. Could they publish
a more offensice article?... please excuse my editorials)


January 3, 2005


Looking for glimmers of hope

By Cathy Young


-snip-

One conservative blogger wondered aloud how long it would take for someone on the left to blame President Bush for the tsunamis. As if on cue, a letter-writer in The New York Times suggested that while Bush might not be to blame now, he would be the next time because global warming would make natural disasters worse.

This unseemly political squabbling, the equivalent of fiddling while Rome burns, is all too typical of the year that has passed. We have lived through a nasty, brutish, and regrettably far from short presidential campaign in which who did what in Vietnam 30 years ago seemed to get more attention than what is happening in Iraq right now. One candidate would not admit to a single mistake; the other seemed to have never met a problem he couldn't fix if elected.

Among the politically active segment of the public, the dominant emotion of the campaign seemed to be hate for the other side's candidate. A hate-filled campaign was followed by a hate-filled morning after. The sore losers railed at the knuckle-dragging Bible-thumping rednecks who elected Bush and clung to conspiracy theories about voter fraud. Quite a few sore winners jeered at the latte-sipping godless elitists who voted for Kerry, and suggested that 48 percent of Americans should just shut up about any policies they don't like because, hey, their guy lost.

Politically, 2004 was also the year of the blog (short for "weblog," for those who haven't been paying attention). The Internet sites that offer up-to-the-minute commentary and analysis have sometimes upstaged the major media -- mostly notably on the fake memos allegedly related to Bush's military service -- and brought fresh voices into the fray. Sadly, they may have also exacerbated the shrill partisanship and the polarization that pervades public discourse today: With a few exceptions, most bloggers preach to the converted and offer knee-jerk defenses of their own side.


Link:
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/01/03/looking_for_glimmers_of_hope/
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 09:57 AM
Response to Original message
37. 1/3/05 Election/Fraud/Recount Thread
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Fly by night Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 10:39 AM
Response to Original message
38. Third Gathering To Save Our Democracy, Nashville, TN
We held our third Gathering at Vanderbilt's Benton Chapel, with 150+ in attendance, speeches from a half-dozen civil rights warrior-pioneers, a slide show (thanks Election Fraud 2004) which included a half-dozen brand-new slides from the leaked "raw" exit poll data (thanks DUers!!), coverage (again) from our local CBS affiliate, the Nashville newspaper, and a half-hour post-Gathering live radio interview on the largest Black-owned radio station in Nashville.

We will follow up with a rally at our Senators' Nashville offices (11:00 am on 1/5/05 at Senator Alexander's office, then proceeding to Senator Frist's office) and will continue to meet at least once a month to formulate our own legislative agenda for election reform in Tennessee.
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dzika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-03-05 10:49 AM
Response to Reply #38
39. Yesterday's Thread
Thanks for posting this update! ;-)

Just FYI - This is the thread for Sunday.

You'll have a better chance of being noticed if you post in today's thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=226125#226410
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