Tuesday 2/15 Election Fraud, Reform, & Updates Thread

[MelissaB]

In order to organize and document I thought it would be a good idea to have a daily thread to place items related to reform, fraud, protests, and other items. 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 with this project.


Link to the thread from yesterday: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x326220#327008

[dzika]

1. ACTION ITEMS

Please reply to this post with action items.

[dzika]

2. A thank-you note from Barbara Boxer with pictures of her roses

(re-post)

A thank-you note from Barbara Boxer with pictures of her roses:

From: Barbara Boxer

I hope all of you have a wonderful Valentine's Day and that you get to spend it with those you love. Let's especially remember our brave men and women in uniform serving overseas on this holiday who won't be spending Valentine's Day at home. Thanks to your generosity, our wounded soldiers recovering at Bethesda Naval Hospital and Walter Reed Army Medical Center will also be able to enjoy your thoughtful gift -- we sent the roses there this afternoon.

We've got a lot of work ahead of us. But every once in a while it's nice to stop and smell the roses. Thanks again for such a warm and generous gift.

Have a happy Valentine's Day!

In Friendship,

Barbara Boxer

P.S. I've attached a couple photos from this afternoon. This is what 4,500 roses looks like!

[dzika]

3. One vote holds up Ector County, Texas result for commissioner

08:35 PM CST on Monday, February 14, 2005

One vote holds up Ector County, Texas result

By CHARLES RAINS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News


ODESSA – One vote can make a difference – at least a one-vote margin has been holding up election results in Ector County for three months.

Voters in the county's Precinct 3 still don't know who their commissioner will be.

By a one-vote margin, victory has wavered between Democratic incumbent Barbara Graff and her Republican challenger, David Dunn.

The initial vote count showed Mr. Dunn winning by one vote – 4,104 to 4,103.

Then Ms. Graff put up several hundred dollars to pay for a recount, resulting in two absentee ballots for Mr. Dunn being disqualified by Elections Administrator Sharon Wilson, giving a one-vote lead to Ms. Graff.


more: http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/021505dntexonevote.9f2d.html

[dzika]

4. Fed Inquiries Shaping LA Mayoral Campaign

Fed Inquiries Shaping LA Mayoral Campaign

Accusations have not touched Hahn directly, but the major challengers for his seat are making the most of the investigations.

By Rich Connell and Robert J. Lopez, Times Staff Writers


More than a year after federal and county officials launched a wide-ranging criminal investigation of contracts and campaign fundraising in Los Angeles, it remains to be seen whether any city official will be charged with wrongdoing.

But that hasn't stopped the four main challengers trying to unseat Mayor James K. Hahn from making corruption allegations a centerpiece of their campaigns, accusing top mayoral fundraisers of creating a "pay-to-play" atmosphere in which those doing business with the city felt compelled to make campaign donations or risk losing their contracts.

The attacks, coupled with the investigation's ongoing reverberations in City Hall, have taken a toll on the mayor, with more than a third of those likely to vote on March 8 saying they believe Hahn lacks the integrity and honesty to merit a second term, according to a recent Los Angeles Times poll.

Sources familiar with the investigations say that if indictments of Hahn appointees are to come, they are not likely to be issued before election day.


more: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-probe15feb15,0,1700520.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[dzika]

5. Critical of Bush, Kerry campaigns for more military

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Critical of Bush, Kerry campaigns for more military

By David R. Guarino


WORCESTER - The Secret Service details have been replaced by barely enough aides to fill his SUV and the stadium-size battleground crowds have dwindled to 500 in old Mechanics Hall.

But Sen. John F. Kerry made clear yesterday he still wants the presidency. ``If I could just get you all to move to Ohio and vote, we could change our address rapidly,'' Kerry told the cheering crowd.

Kerry used his first post-election Bay State address to charge that boosting American military might hinges on changing the Bush administration view that ``supporting the troops'' means blind allegiance.
...
``When the administration that is in charge of these policies refuses to admit mistakes, supporting the troops means that, for the rest of us that we demand that a failed policy be changed or adjusted in order to support those troops more effectively.''


http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=68604

[dzika]

6. Students grow more inquisitive, not more conservative

Posted on Tue, Feb. 15, 2005

Students grow more inquisitive, not more conservative

By Tracy Russo


Re: "Students find idealism in the GOP" (Off Campus, Feb. 8).


A recent survey by the Harvard University Institute of Politics found that party identification among college students has remained unchanged since the 2000 election. When asked to name the party they consider themselves to be affiliated with, 34 percent of students identified themselves as Democrats, 29 percents as Republicans and 33 percents as independents.

Students are not becoming more conservative; they remain predominantly Democratic. But they are growing curious and more active in the political affairs that are shaping their future.

The first national survey to process youth voter registration and turnout in the 2004 election by the University of Maryland CIRCLE reports that 85 percent of students followed the election very or somewhat closely, and 77 percent of college students turned out to the polls. Of those who voted, 55 percent reported supporting Sen. John Kerry, compared to only 41 percent who voted to keep President Bush in office. Among independents, 62 percent favored Sen. Kerry while only 27 percent chose President Bush.

The four years leading to the 2004 election saw a dramatic increase in interest and involvement among these voters. Nearly twice as many students have participated in some kind of political or issue-related activity since the 2000 election and 20 percent more students have registered to vote.
...
More then ever before, it is the Democratic Party that continues to fight for the America students believe in. Democrats continue to advocate progressive policies that address our problems and meet our needs without spreading an ideology of fear and hatred.
They spread tolerance. They spread diversity. They spread cooperation. They spread hope.


more: http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/10899178.htm

[dzika]

7. Judge to clarify ruling on lawsuit over WA governor's election

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Judge to clarify ruling on lawsuit over WA governor's election

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF


Any uncertainty about what a Chelan County judge ruled earlier this month on a slew of legal arguments in the court challenge to the Washington governor's election should be cleared up Friday during a brief hearing in Wenatchee.

That's when Superior Court Judge John Bridges is expected to issue a written order clarifying the oral rulings he made Feb. 4.

Among other things, Bridge's rulings earlier this month included allowing Republican Dino Rossi's contest to the election of Democrat Christine Gregoire as Washington's governor to move toward trial.

But the judge also eliminated individual counties as defendants in the case and found that his court has no authority to order part of what Republicans had sought should they eventually prove their case: an immediate special election, or revote.

During the procedural hearing scheduled for an hour Friday morning, attorneys for parties involved in the case are expected to present proposed orders to the judge offering their interpretations of his rulings, before Bridges issues his own order clarifying his positions.


source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/212064_governor15.html

[dzika]

8. Judge dismisses bid to recall Reed over WA Gov. election certification

Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 a.m.

Judge dismisses bid to recall Reed over WA Gov. election certification

By Andrew Garber


A recall of Sam
Reed was rejected
yesterday.

OLYMPIA — A Thurston County Superior Court judge yesterday rejected an attempt to recall Secretary of State Sam Reed.

Martin Ringhofer of Soap Lake, Grant County, and Linda Jordan of Seattle filed a petition recently seeking to recall Reed.

They argued in the petition that Reed committed "misfeasance or malfeasance" during the Nov. 2 election in part because he certified results for the governor's race even though it was an election "he knew was wrought with violations of election laws and regulations."

Jordan argued Reed should not have certified the results. "It is clear to us Mr. Reed knowingly failed to perform his duty," she said.
...
Judge Chris Wickham dismissed the case, saying that the charges against Reed, even if proven true, did not warrant a recall. "There is no showing of impropriety by the secretary of state," Wickham said.


more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002180543_reed15m.html

[dzika]

9. Tough questions for elections chief as Council looks into WA Gov. Vote

Local News: Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Tough questions for elections chief as County Council looks into WA Gov. vote

By Keith Ervin


King County Elections Director
Dean Logan gestures while
presenting his report yesterday.
The discrepancy between ballots
counted and voters credited with
voting is at issue in the disputed
election.


In his first appearance before the Metropolitan King County Council since the contested election for governor, county Elections Director Dean Logan warned against overreacting to a series of mishaps.

"The most important thing," Logan said, "is that we not take radical action in the wake of this close race. We need responsible, meaningful election reform."
...
The Republicans' analysis said there were 5,845 more ballots than voters in 1,318 precincts and 3,751 more voters than ballots in 1,011 precincts, Vance said.

King County officials dismissed Vance's attack as an irresponsible attempt to undermine confidence in Democrat Christine Gregoire's 129-vote victory over Republican Dino Rossi in a manual recount after Rossi led in two earlier machine counts.

"We knew that the Republicans would have to come after King County because they would have to make the case that something very bad happened here, and it's just not true," said Kurt Triplett, chief of staff to County Executive Ron Sims, a Democrat.


more: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=logan15m&date=20050215

[dzika]

10. A Corrupted Election By Steve Freeman and Josh Mitteldorf

(thanks to helderheid thread here)

February 15, 2005

A Corrupted Election
Despite what you may have heard, the exit polls were right

By Steve Freeman and Josh Mitteldorf



Recall the Election Day exit polls that suggested John Kerry had won a convincing victory? The media readily dismissed those polls and little has been heard about them since.

Many Americans, however, were suspicious. Although President Bush prevailed by 3 million votes in the official, tallied vote count, exit polls had projected a margin of victory of 5 million votes for Kerry. This unexplained 8 million vote discrepancy between the election night exit polls and the official count should raise a Chinese May Day of red flags.

The U.S. voting system is more vulnerable to manipulation than most Americans realize. Technologies such as electronic voting machines provide no confirmation that votes are counted as cast, and highly partisan election officials have the power to suppress votes and otherwise distort the count.

Exit polls are highly accurate. They remove most of the sources of potential polling error by identifying actual voters and asking them immediately afterward who they had voted for.


much more: http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/1970/

DU Thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=327208#327247

[dzika]

11. Court: Reporters Must Testify in CIA Leak Case (with MSNBC Video)

It's strange that this crime which was clearly orchestrated and committed by someone inside the White House, is being used to erode the first amendment rights of reporterss to protect their sources.

At the same time, conservative reporters like "Gannon" and Novak (who broke the Valerie Plame story) are not being attacked by the feds or being asked to testify.

Gannon boasted on FreePress that he had seen secret CIA reports that no one else had seen and he was cited by the Feds as a "person of interest" in the Valerie Plame case.

As noted in Will Pitt's recent article, http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/021105A.shtml">The News Is Broken, Gannon's link to the Plame case is an important part of the Gannon scandal that has been largely ignored.

---

Feb. 15, 2005

Court: Reporters Must Testify in CIA Leak Case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday that two journalists must testify before a federal grand jury about their confidential sources in an investigation into a leak that exposed the identity of a covert CIA (news - web sites) operative.

The three-judge panel ruled that New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine must comply with a subpoena from a grand jury investigating whether the Bush administration illegally leaked the officer's name to the news media.

The decision upheld a ruling by a federal judge that Miller and Cooper were in contempt of court and should be jailed for refusing to testify about their confidential sources. Miller and Cooper each face as much as 18 months in prison.

"There is no First Amendment privilege protecting the evidence sought," Judge David Sentelle wrote in the opinion.


more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20050215/pl_nm/bush_leak_dc

---

Video - MSNBC reports on ruling in Plame/CIA leak case - 12/15 @ 11:15 AM ET



Real Media format (256k stream / 3 minutes):
http://www.edwardsdavid.com/BushVideos/msnbc_plame_reporter_ruling_050215-01.rm

[dzika]

12. Opinion: The pros and cons of photo IDs at the ballot box

5:09 a.m. February 15, 2005

Opinion: The pros and cons of photo IDs at the ballot box

By Michael Tate, for WisPolitics.com

(Read the article for Republican Pros: by Brian E. Fraley)


Cons of required photo ID: Michael Tate


Wisconsin has a long, proud history of voter participation and civic involvement. In November, not only did voter turnout exceed 70 percent, but for the second presidential election in a row turnout among college students was among the highest in the nation. Our leaders should acknowledge this as a fantastic example of participatory democracy. Instead, legislative Republicans are demanding further restrictions on voters' rights.
...
My grandmother is 87 and doesn't drive anymore. She moved a few years ago to be closer to family. She reads the newspaper daily, discusses current events with her friends, and counts the days to Election Day when she exercises her civic duty. This law would directly impact her. She does not have a current ID and getting one would be an extreme hardship. Similarly, why should a disabled veteran without the ability to get an ID be denied the right to vote?

The reason I believe many Republicans are behind this push for photo identification is purely partisan. They know this bill will prevent large blocks of Democratic voters from going to the polls. Young people and seniors voted overwhelmingly for John Kerry last November, and if they voted in a much smaller quantity it is likely George W. Bush would have carried the state.

This is partisanship at its worst. Voting in America has moved beyond poll taxes, literacy tests and Jim Crow laws. Most states are moving in the direction of more open election systems and look to Wisconsin as a model. Wisconsin should continue to invest in making voting easier. We are a model of electoral participation and engagement.

Requiring a photo ID presents an obstruction to many voters and is not the answer to the administrative problems we saw last November. Our leaders should be searching for new and innovative ways to make it easier for people to vote and harder for people to cheat. Requiring voter IDs fails on both accounts.


more: http://onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/wispol021505.html?6588

[dzika]

13. Moderate evangelicals seek to broaden social agenda

Posted on Tue, Feb. 15, 2005

Moderate evangelicals seek to broaden social agenda

BY STEVENSON SWANSON
Chicago Tribune


Abortion, gay marriage and stem-cell research may be the issues most commonly associated with evangelical voters, but moderate and liberal evangelicals are mounting an effort to make their voices heard on subjects not normally associated with their movement, including poverty, the war in Iraq and the environment.
...
"There is a progressive religious option, and that is encouraging to people of faith who are tired of the control of this issue by the right."
...
Wallis, for example, uses the Bible to support his contention that evangelicals should be more concerned about the poor. The Bible, he says, contains 3,000 verses that mention the poor.

"How did the faith of Jesus come to be known as pro-rich, pro-war and only pro-American?" he writes in "God's Politics."

Among other initiatives in the evangelical community, Call to Renewal, the anti-poverty advocacy group Wallis heads, is working with other religious groups on the issue of achieving a "living wage" for low-income workers, through increases in the minimum wage and the earned-income tax credit.


more: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/nation/10904743.htm

[dzika]

14. A compilation of today's Gannon / Guckert scandal news

From THE RAW STORY:
2/15/2005

Congressmembers to file Freedom of Information Act request with Homeland Security, White House on discredited ‘Gannon’

Two Democratic congressmembers will file a Freedom of Information Act request with Homeland Security and the White House seeking records on the discredited conservative reporter with ties to prostitution and apparent access to confidential CIA information, RAW STORY has learned.

The letter, which is to current Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge (Chertoff is being voted on today and will not yet be sworn in any event), will not mention activist Jim Guckert’s efforts at prostitution, which was revealed by a progressive blog Monday.

Congressmen John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and congresswoman Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) will sign the request.

“News reports also indicate that Mr. Guckert would not be considered a bona fide journalist by his peers in the press corps, as most of his claims to legitimacy have already been discredited,” the members write in the final version prepared for signature and released to RAW STORY. “Access to the President and his press corps is highly competitive, and many seasoned journalists have not had the honor of attending the events or enjoying the access Mr. Guckert has. “

more: http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=78

---

From The Editor and Publisher:
February 15, 2005

'Jeff Gannon' Signs Off: Tells E&P He'll No Longer Talk to Press
By Joe Strupp

NEW YORK James D. Guckert, the former White House reporter who's been accused of everything from asking partisan questions to being a male prostitute, is no longer speaking to the press, claiming it does not help his cause, he told E&P this morning.

"I talked to attorneys, and I am no longer talking to anyone anymore," said Guckert, who has used the alias Jeff Gannon. "It doesn’t seem to clarify anything any longer. Everything I say, people start a new conspiracy theory. I am not going to answer any more questions. It seems to distract from what is really going on."

That approach is a shift from Guckert's activities in the past week, when he has appeared on CNN and National Public Radio and allowed several other news organizations, including E&P, to interview him.

more: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000800287

---

From BuzzFlash.com:
February 15, 2005

The Puppeteer of the White House Propaganda Gay Escort Apparently Dabbled in Publishing Anti-Semitism Commentary Too: Bobby Eberle, the Mystery Man Behind the Talon White House News Service

Ah yes, the mysterious White House relationship to the so-called Talon News Service and their ace propaganda ringer for Bush, Mr. Gannon/Guckert, just gets muddier and muddier.

BuzzFlash found this column from the Jewish publication, Forward, about a commentary that appeared in 2003 on the main website that Talon services, the obscure GOPUSA.com.

The whole White House front operation is owned by one Bobby Eberle, a Texan of course, with "ties" to the Bush right wing. Did he personally meet with Karl Rove to plan out the Gannon/Guckert attempt to control the media message? Did they know or care that Gannon/Guckert was apparently a male escort for gay Marines?

All good questions, too bad that FOX News is so quiet about a sex scandal right in the White House. They'll still too busy talking about that Clinton blow job, we guess.

more: http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/05/02/ana05002.html

---

From Idaho State Journal

Bogus 'reporting' leaves a stink on everyone involved

Just a few weeks back, conservative columnist Armstrong Williams admitted to accepting a hefty payday - $240,000 - for promoting the Bush Administration's No Child Left Behind program in his column. More recently, it was revealed that syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher accepted $21,500 to promote the president's marriage initiative.

Now, another syndicated columnist, Michael McManus, admitted to accepting $10,000 from a federal Health and Human Services subcontractor to support the same initiative.

Then, just last week, James D. Guckert, who wrote under the pseudonym of Jeff Gannon, resigned from his on-line reporting job amid accusations that he posed loaded questions during presidential news conferences. Guckert worked for a conservative Web site affiliated with GOPUSA.com.

What's worse? Finding out the Bush administration is willing to grant access to lapdogs and hand out thousands of dollars to buy supposedly independent columnists, or learning there are columnists out there willing to sell out?

more: http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/05/02/ana05002.html

more: http://www.journalnet.com/articles/2005/02/15/opinion/opinion01.txt

---

From Conspiracy Planet
Feb. 15, 2005 @ 1:30 PM ET

Karl Rove: Did He Leak Plame Memo to Jeff Gannon?



The Jeff Gannon/ JD Guckert Gay Call Boy scandal is threatening to become a major problem for the Bush-Cheney Regime as unanswered questions loom over the ...

NOTE: This story is listed on Google but the 'Conspiracy Planet' website is down. Suspicious? Hopefully it will be back online soon

Here is the link: http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=2&contentid=1918

---

From Metro Times:
2/16/2005

The New McCarthyism
by Jack Lessenberry

...
This went on until something truly horrifying happened; on Friday, Jordan resigned his job at CNN, where he has worked his entire adult life. He said he didn’t want to “unfairly tarnish” the network because of the controversy. And to CNN’s everlasting shame, they accepted his resignation.
...
Actually, in a way, this is worse. We should know better by now. Yet the cowardly corporate media are so terrorized by the right that they seem to have forgotten what this nation is supposed to stand for. I can’t say for sure, but I have a suspicion that if Ted Turner, the mouth of the South, still owned CNN, he would have torn up Jordan’s resignation, told him to get back to work, and told the weblog scribblers to go kiss his America’s Cup-winning ass. But the news network he invented is now part of the huge AOL-Time-Warner conglomerate, and money and profits are what it’s all about.
...
Still, Mithras, or whoever the god is who is running the world these days, does have a sense of humor. One of the most obnoxious reporters at White House press conferences was one Jeff Gannon, who worked for Talonnews.com and wasted time at press conferences asking questions designed to make the president look good. He also frequently attacked gays on the Talon Web site.

Oops. Last week it turned out that Gannon is actually one Jim Guckert, and he has another life and career, namely, operating Web sites that appear to be designed to promote male prostitution (HotMilitaryStud.com, etc.). Suddenly, he too, has decided to resign.

Our Homeland Security White House has nothing to say about how someone using a phony name, and who seems to be a gay pimp, got daily White House security clearance. And the beat goes on. No matter how cynical you get, as Lily Tomlin said, you can’t keep up.

more: http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=7335

---

From THE RAW STORY:
2/15/2005

Democratic senators said cool to pushing inquiry into disgraced reporter
Update: Sen. Lautenberg’s office waiting on McClellan
By John Byrne

Democratic senators have cooled to an inquiry into the disgraced reporter with ties to prostitution who may have been given classified information relating to CIA agent, RAW STORY has learned.

Part of the reason, Senate aides say, was the revelation that the reporter who wrote under the pseudonym Jeff Gannon had in fact sought to prostitute himself online. Democratic senators seem more reticent above delving into a scandal colored by sexual allegations.

One senator, Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), may still join the push by Democratic members in the House who are calling for all records relating to how the conservative reporter got such apparent high-level access to the White House, the president and information relating to the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

Alex Formuzis, Sen. Lautenberg’s press secretary, said the senator was still debating his next move. The senator requested all documents relating to Gannon’s credentialing on Friday, but has made no statement regarding the reporter’s apparent access to information regarding the CIA agent or how a prostitute got access to the president.

“At this point we have not received an answer,” Formuzis said. “I’ve placed three phone calls to Mr. McClellan’s assistant” without receiving a response.

more: http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=81

---

From The Editor & Publisher:
February 14, 2005 3:00 PM ET

McClellan Tells 'E&P' He Didn't Know Guckert Used Fake Name for Nearly Two Years

NEW YORK Talon News reporter James D. Guckert got to ask questions at White House press briefings for nearly two years, but White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan didn't know he was using an alias until the past few weeks, McClellan told E&P today.

Asked if he had discussed the Guckert/Gannon episode with President Bush, McClellan said, "We've only talked about it briefly," but declined to be more specific. "He's got a lot of other priorities," McClellan added.

McClellan also said he was unaware of Talon News' ties to the Texas Republican Party until recently, when scrutiny of Guckert, also known as Jeff Gannon, increased after he asked President Bush a question at a press conference last month.
...
McClellan added that he had known "relatively little" about Talon News, Guckert's former employer, which is linked to GOPUSA.com, a Republican Web site with ties to Texas Republican groups. "I knew it was a conservative Web site that reported news," he said.

Asked if “anyone there” was aware of Guckert before he started showing up for briefings, McClellan said: “No.”

more: http://209.11.49.220/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000799881

---

From The Editor & Publisher:
February 14, 2005 12:14 PM ET

Reporters to Meet with White House on Credentialing
By Joe Strupp

NEW YORK Leaders of the White House Correspondents' Association plan to meet with President Bush's press secretary tomorrow to discuss tightening the White House press-credentialing process. The meeting follows the recent uproar over James Guckert, a former White House reporter for the GOP-linked Talon News, who had used the name Jeff Gannon and drawn criticism for asking partisan questions.

Among the potential changes to the credentialing system: tighter restrictions on who can receive daily press passes, such as those Guckert had obtained; and a more active role by the WHCA in approving requests or credentials, which are now handed out solely by the White House Press Office.

more: http://209.11.49.220/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000799767

---

From News Hounds:
February 15, 2005

O'Reilly Covers Eason but Not Gannon/Eberle

Last week Bill O'Reilly was so involved with his holy war against Ward Churchill, he lost sight of the Eason Jordan story. No matter. He was all over it yesterday, claiming in his Talking Points Memo that he didn't report the story last week because "I didn't know what had happened. No transcripts or tapes were available and, unlike many in the media, we give the presumption of innocence on The Factor." He then interviewed Rony Abovitz, the man who first posted the story. Yet, to date, not one peep out of the Factor or the Billster about "L'Affaire Gannon," the tsunami of secrecy and sexuality percolating over at the White House.
...
Even though Eason Jordan, twenty years in the news business, issued a correction and apologized, it was not good enough for the reactionary wing of the Republican Party. One wonders what pressure was brought to bear on CNN to force his retirement. And, even more important, why didn't CNN fight back?
...
If anyone needed proof of the lack of balance at FOX, one need only contrast the coverage of Eason Jordan's resignation with the virtually non-existnt coverage of the Gannon/Guckert/Eberle story that has been extensively aired on all the other networks and is hot stuff in the blogosphere.

Perhaps FOX is, after all, taking great pains not to offend those of us born into a legitimate Gannon clan. However, despite the fact that I would like to think they are trying to protect my Gannon relatives from being exposed to such sleaze, it is much more likely that the Murdoch-Moody-Ailes trio has decided that it is better to play the Ostrich than the Owl in this particular case.

The only problem is, the Ship of State has run into an iceberg named "Jeff Gannon." Try as they might to plug the leaks, it's sinking fast! It remains to be seen if the Captain will go down with his ship!

P. S. Why not write to Bill and let him know that you are disappointed that he has not done a segment on "Jeff Gannon"?

[e-mail]

more: http://www.newshounds.us/2005/02/15/oreilly_covers_eason_but_not_gannoneberle.php

[dzika]

15. Voice of America - Amy Goodman on 2004 Election

February 14, 2005

Voice of America - Amy Goodman on 2004 Election

By Evan Derkacz

An interview with Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! — the only “daily, grassroots, un-embedded, international, independent news hour” in America today.

Goodman recently spoke with AlterNet over the telephone.

AlterNet: Everyone has a pet theory on why Bush won. What's yours?

Amy Goodman: If he won.

If he won, right.

Well, we know he didn't win in 2000, and we don't know about now. Because we are increasingly going towards a system that can't be verified and since, in the U.S., elections are held up as the symbol of democracy, it's very important that we be able to verify these elections. The fact that people are suspicious is a very big problem. The fact that you can have places in Ohio where there are 360 voters and 4,200 votes for Bush — this is a big problem. And that's just the places we know. There's also the huge amount of voter suppression and intimidation that goes on for Election Day.

Whether or not he won, even by their count, he's got something like 30 percent of the vote — this isn't very impressive. It is hardly a mandate and I think that's what matters because I think we have a situation in this country where, for example, most people are opposed to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and yet the person who is behind that invasion and occupation has won, so I don't think that this is a mandate, certainly (not) for Bush foreign policy.

...
So where do we go from here? Where should progressives put their energy now with regard to the media? I mean, do you think things like Air America are the answer or do you think we should climb inside the corporate media's tent and try and change that?

I think that the whole issue of taking back the airwaves is an absolutely critical issue right now. Media activism has proven to be extremely successful. The last year you had Michael Powell, chair of the FCC, trying to push through the largest media consolidation this country has ever seen.

You had Michael Powell, right, son of Colin Powell — Colin Powell helps to lead the war in Iraq, his son Michael Powell pushing through media deregulation. His father leads the war in Iraq; his son leads the war on diversity of voices at home. Media monopoly and militarism go hand-in-hand. That unholy alliance has to be broken. We have to "un-embed" the media because that's what threatens democracy.

We cannot hear people, we can't hear the dissent — dissent is what makes this country strong. We need a media that gives voice to those who are most targeted right now – like Arab Americans, Muslims, people of South Asian dissent, populations that are very vulnerable; hundreds of them arrested after 9/11. We don't know the charges against them; they don't know the charges against them; we don't know their names, and who led that? The man that's being confirmed as head of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, who the ACLU has said led some of the greatest racial profiling in this country's history.


much more: http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21250/

[westsyde]

16. Washington State Election reform online feedback

I posted on my blog about it:

http://washblog.typepad.com/main/2005/02/freep_the_elect.html

The GOPers are trying to make the reform hearings a joke. So fill out the forms and send it to them as well. We need to let the legislators know about the problems with DREs and the need for REAL reform.

[dzika]

17. WV Secretary Of State Re-launches "Fraud Squad"

February 14, 2005

WV Secretary Of State Re-launches "Fraud Squad"

Team Of Specialists Will Investigate Complaints Of Voter Fraud Across Mountain State


WHEELING, WV -- West Virginia's Secretary of State plans to bring back a team of specialists to travel the mountain state protecting the validity of your vote.

During her first official visit to the northern panhandle, Secretary of State Betty Ireland announced she's setting aside money to bring back the office's "voter fraud investigators."

Ireland says our area hasn't seen many severe violations, but there are serious problems in the southern part of the state.

"Somebody tried to buy my vote or I saw someone in the courthouse messing with the ballots or someone's asked me to stuff the ballot box," says Ireland. "Those things still go on in certain sections of West Virginia."
...
If you feel you've been the victim of voter fraud, click here to file a complaint with the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office.


source: http://www.wtov9.com/news/4197700/detail.html

[Liberty Belle]

18. Today's Action Alerts--DU these!

TAKE ACTION!
This Week’s Action Alerts: Please DU These, kick and forward so everyone can help!
(Note: If any petitions are outdated or links no longer work, please let me know. Thanks.)

New action alerts posted 2/15/05:
TELL CONGRESS TO VOTE “NO” ON INCREASING AIR POLLUTION
The "Clear Skies" initiative is a legislative attempt to gut the Clean Air Act that has protected the air we breathe for more than 30 years. It repeals protections for our national parks, delays deadlines to meet the Act's health standards, relaxes pollution reduction requirements for power plants and other major pollution sources, and ignores global warming.

If this pollution plan passes, it will mean a huge step backward in reducing the amount of pollution in our air and in our lungs. This pollution plan was rejected by Congress in both 2002 and 2003. But now proponents of this plan are hoping they have the political support to hand over a Sweetheart Deal to major polluters just in time for Valentine's Day.
Please don't delay! The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to vote on the bill this week. Click here to tell your Senators that you oppose the "Clear Skies" initiative.
http://www.savethecleanairact.org/

SUPPORT HOWARD DEAN’S PLAN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY:
Your representatives in the DNC mandated bottom-up reform -- growing the Democratic Party in your neighborhood and every other community in America. They voted to compete in every state for every level of office. And they demanded a Democratic Party that stands up for itself and for an agenda that reflects our values.
Please read our plan -- and commit to making it a reality:
http://www.democrats.org/plan

PUT FAMILIES FIRST: STOP HEALTH CARE CUTS
Health care is quickly being priced out of reach for millions of Americans. But instead of making health care more affordable, President Bush is making the problem worse by proposing $60 billion in health care cuts that put our families at risk.
You can help by telling your members of Congress and your Governor to oppose these devastating cuts.

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/pff_healthcare/6x3es3247b7bxx

TELL CHARLES SCHWAB: STOP SUPPORTING SOCIAL SECURITY PRIVATIZATION!
Charles Schwab is a member of the AWRS and of the Financial Services Roundtable. These and other front groups are raising millions for ad campaigns to sell Social Security privatization to the American public. Charles Schwab's corporate philosophy description says the company's goal is to offer individual investors "useful, ethical services at a fair price." The most ethical service Schwab could provide for working families is to withdraw from the front groups trying to privatize Social Security.
You convinced Edward Jones to leave the main Social Security front group. Now convince Charles Schwab to do the same. Click here:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/schwab

SUPPORT ACCESS TO BIRTH CONTROL
Sign our petition to organizations of the anti-choice movement, asking them to join a new campaign to reduce the need for abortion. Senator Harry Reid - who opposes a woman's right to choose - has offered a common-sense bill called the Prevention First Act that would help reduce unintended pregnancies through better access to birth control.
Help us urge our opponents to work with us to pass this bill, and make it the first step in a dialogue about preventing unintended pregnancies.

http://prochoiceaction.org/campaign/open_letter/3k5dbn4f557ewk

URGE CONGRESS TO OPPOSE BUSH’S HEARTLESS BUDGET
Our government's budget should represent our national priorities. But
Mr. Bush's priorities are in the wrong place and the consequence will
be suffering for our most vulnerable neighbors. Please urge your
members of Congress to reject this heartless expression of our
collective goals, and vote instead to extend a helping hand to the
least among us.

Click here to take action!
http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/edxY0IEmbg0OHe0vdW0ET
IMPEACH BUSH!

Ramsey Clark has almost half a million signatures.
Please sign and forward this link to others:
http://www.votetoimpeach.org/

More on how you can help persuade Congress to impeach Bush:
http://www.impeach-bush-now.org/
---------------------------------------------------------------------

PREVIOUS ALERTS (posted 2/10/05)

SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATIC AGENDA FOR THE 109Th CONGRESS!

A Future of Security, Opportunity and Responsibility

http://democrats.senate.gov/cosponsor-form.html


SUPPORT SENATOR KERRY’S “KIDS COME FIRST” BILL TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE FOR OUR CHILDREN
“We have over 400, 000 co-sponsors through the Internet who want to fight for this, and we are going to fight for it." – John Kerry

http://www.johnkerry.com/KidsFirst


REFUSE TO SURRENDER YOUR FREEDOM.
Join the over 70,000 signatures/pledges and over 400,000 ACLU members in fighting for freedoms and defending our American Values:

reserve the separation of church and state • Amend the Patriot Act to keep us safe and free • Defend the right to dissent • Safeguard a woman's right to choose • Advocate for the full equality of LGBT people • Protect privacy in all aspects of our lives

http://www.aclu.org/refusetosurrender/?orgid=n&MX=1827& ...


TELL PRESIDENT BUSH AND THE RNC: DISAVOW VOTER SUPRESSION
For years, Republicans have used voter intimidation, misinformation, and other tactics to undermine the votes of blacks and other minorities. It's racist, undemocratic, and fundamentally un-American.

We're joining Julian Bond, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., Representatives Maxine Waters and Jesse Jackson, Jr. and others to demand that it stop. Please join us by signing below. " I urge you to publicly disavow all forms of voter suppression and to publicly condemn voter suppression activity by your staff and volunteers. " To learn more specific incidents of voter suppression and the tactics used, read this illuminating report by the People for the American Way Foundation and the NAACP, Sign the petition here..

http://www.moveonpac.org/suppression /
TERMINATE THE TERMINATOR (MONSANTO’S GENE TO KILL OFF GLOBAL CROPS)
Sign Petition to United Nations

Consumer, farmer, and environmental organizations across the globe are mobilizing to stop the legalization and commercialization of the controversial Terminator Gene Technology, whereby seeds are genetically engineered to become sterile or commit suicide after one growing season. The Monsanto corporation and the biotech industry support the Terminator Technology, because it will force many of the 1.4 billion farmers around the world to stop saving their seeds and instead to purchase patented seed varieties from the Gene Giants.

In addition, scientists are concerned that genetic pollution from Terminator crops will lead to killing off a wide range of crops and plants, as Terminator pollen and seeds are spread by the wind, insect pollinators, and commercial seed co-mingling and transportation. After a massive international campaign in 1998, Monsanto Corporation announced they were shelving plans to commercialize the Terminator, while the United Nations (UN) called for a global ban. But on 2/11/2005 renewed efforts to overturn the worldwide ban were launched at a UN conference in Bangkok.

http://organicconsumers.org/un.htm



SUPPORT U.S. ACTION ON GLOBAL WARMING

Today, the historic Climate Stewardship Act (CSA) was reintroduced in the 109th Congress with the promise of firm cuts in heat-trapping gases that contribute to global warming. For several years momentum has been building for the CSA’s market-based approach, which supports clean alternatives to our nation’s transportation and energy needs. Thus far, UCS activists have played a vital role in supporting the bill, sending more than 115,000 messages to their legislators. Now that the CSA has been reintroduced, please contact your members of Congress and tell them to support this crucial measure for the health of our environment.

http://www.ucsaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=24292



BECOME A CITIZEN COSPONSOR OF HILARY CLINTON’S COUNT EVERY VOTE ACT
I am asking you to sign on now as a citizen co-sponsor of vitally important election reform legislation. Next week, I will introduce the Count Every Vote Act of 2005, co-sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer. This comprehensive election reform bill will:

· Provide a verified paper ballot for every vote cast in electronic voting machines.

· Set a uniform standard for provisional ballots, so that every qualified voter within the state will know their votes are treated equally and will be counted.

· Require the Federal Election Assistance Commission to issue standards that ensure uniform access to voting machines and election personnel in every community. It's outrageous that some people in predominantly minority communities had to wait up to 10 hours to vote, while people in other communities often voted in minutes!

http://www.friendsofhillary.com/CountEveryVote


STOP BUSH’S BUDGET CUTS—2 ACTION ALERTS:

From the Democratic Party: Tell Bush to Take His Budget Back to the Drawing Board!
The proposed 2006 federal budget President Bush released yesterday would drive America deeper into debt while making cuts that will hurt veterans, farmers, and other working Americans..
Sign our petition today … America needs a responsible budget that meets our priorities while making serious reductions in the deficit.

http://www.democrats.org/action

From Campaign for America’s Future: Tell Congress to Reject the Bush budget!
Tell Congress to reject Bush’s indecent budget proposal! Tell them that you don’t want your government to undercut schools in need, eliminate childcare assistance, keep college out of reach for qualified students, cut Medicaid and foodstamps, and more than double veterans’ co-pays for prescription drugs—all while giving tax cuts to millionaires and hiking the federal deficit to $1.4 trillion!
Please contact your representatives today and demand that they reject the Bush budget and realign America’s spending priorities to serve us all not just a privileged few.

http://www.ourfuture.org/reject_bush_budget.cfm

DEFEND HARRY REID FROM GOP SMEAR MACHINE!
Republicans are again playing their tired old game of trying to demonize--in their words "Daschle-ize"--anyone who disagrees with them. This time they are calling newly elected Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid names just for taking principled stands against the administration's most extreme positions.
It's not going to work and a big reason for that is you. We need you and every American tired of the hypocrisy emanating from George Bush and his cronies at the RNC to stand with Harry by signing our new petition.

http://action.dscc.org/campaign/reid


PREVENT FORCED DRUGGING OF OUR KIDS:
SAY NO TO THE NEW FREEDOM COMMISSION!

Bush wants to make testing our children for mental illness mandatory. Parental consent is not required. This could lead to forced drugging of your kids. Please sign this petition:

http://www.thelibertycommittee.org/pcapetition.htm


DEMAND A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR! HOW DID A FAKE JOURNALIST FROM A GOP FRONT GROUP GET A WHITE HOUSE PRESS PASS?

Sign a petition demanding appointment of a special prosecutor to look into how Jeff Gannon of Talon News managed to get a White House press pass—despite the fact that he used a fake name, holds no bona fide jorurnalism degree, works for a GOP-front group and is the alleged operator of several gay escort service websites!
http://democrats.com/gannon


TELL YOUR SENATORS TO SUPPORT ACCESS TO BIRTH CONTROL & CONTRACEPTION:
While Republican leaders are fast-tracking a bill that would endanger young women’s health, familiy-planning supporters are promoting policies that will actually help women by preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing the need for abortion.
Urge your senators to focus on the issues on which we share common ground and become a cosponsor of the Prevention First Act today!
http://prochoiceaction.org/campaign/sen_reidprevention_0205/77bgd6rr5jmx58


STOP ROLLBACKS OF OVERFISHING PROTECTION

One quarter of commercial fish in U.S. waters are overfished or in danger of being overfished. Populations of tuna, cod, skate and grouper are much smaller than decades ago. But the Bush Administration has proposed weakening standards that protect fisheries from overfishing - standards that are starting to help some fish make a comeback. With the seafood industry generating over 250,000 jobs and contributing billions to our nation's economy, healthy fisheries mean a healthy economy. Tell the U.S. government's lead fisheries official keep overfishing protections.
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/overfish/8k73se42j855xt

“CLEAR SKIES” UP FOR VOTE NEXT WEEK: URGE CONGRESS TO OPPOSE THIS SMOKESCREEN

Dirty Secrets Behind the Misnamed "Clear Skies" Bill
Over 30,000 Environmental Defense activists have spoken out against the misnamed "Clear Skies" bill - an unprecedented rollback to our nation's clean air laws. Reintroduced by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), the bill would make lasting, damaging changes to the Clean Air Act. A Senate Committee will consider "Clear Skies" next week - tell your senators and President Bush to support healthier air, not a smokescreen.

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/clearskies/8k73se42j855xt

SUPPORT THE VOTER ACT: HR 533 (CONYERS & TUBBS-JONES)

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) was proud to join in the challenge of Ohio's electors and to protest the numerous voting irregularities which shamed our country in the 2004 presidential election. Now is the time to pass legislation to make certain such abuses do not happen and every vote is counted in future elections. Election outcomes must be determined by voters, not politicians.

To achieve this goal, we call on every PDA activist to lobby their Congressional Representatives to support and/or cosponsor the VOTER Act (H.R. 533), introduced by Congressman John Conyers, Jr. and Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones. Send a letter to your representatives now by clicking here

http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6942056

STOP WAL-MART’S WAR ON WORKERS!

From Union Voice:

Together, as consumers and as activists, we have the power to stop Wal-Mart's attack on workers—and to hold corporations accountable for Wal-Marting jobs. This is a battle about the kind of society we want to live in and the kinds of jobs we want our children to have. You can make a difference.
Click here to sign the petition to Wal-Mart's CEO:

www.unionvoice.org/campaign/walmart_accountable

IMPEACH BUSH!

Ramsey Clark has almost half a million signatures.
Please sign and forward this link to others:

http://www.votetoimpeach.org/

More on how you can help persuade Congress to impeach Bush:

http://www.impeach-bush-now.org/

SAVE CONSUMERS’ RIGHT TO SUE CORPORATE LOOTERS & POLLUTERS


The Senate just approved a bill to restrict class action lawsuits to clogged federal courts, even where existing state remedies might be more effective. Unless you raise your voice now, we will lose our protection against corporations that put greed above public safety. Urge Congress to vote “NO” on this bad measure!
http://www.usalone.com/class_action.htm


PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF THE U.S. SENATE: SAVE THE FILIBUSTER

From Common Cause: The filibuster has a long history in the Senate of fending off actions supported by a bare majority, but deeply offensive to the minority. If an individual senator were to abuse the privilege of the filibuster, he or she could be over overridden by a super majority of 60 votes.

To remove a long-standing parliamentary maneuver to serve immediate partisan goals violates core democratic values and is an anathema to the Senate's long standing commitment to consensus and a bipartisan deliberative process... It is an abuse of power to strip the Senate minority of a tool designed to protect its rights – rights both parties have vociferously defended throughout the Senate’s history

We the undersigned call on the United States Senators not to support changing of long standing Senate filibuster rules to blatantly advance one party’s goals.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=317178&en=jfKJJLPpGaLGJSPCK9KCIUOvGfKWI1NvE8JHKYOIKtH

PROTEST SCHWARZENEGGER’S BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR CALIFORNIA

Send a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger regarding his budget. Tell the Governor you do not want him piling debt onto our grandchildren just so he can pursue the Bush/Rove/Norquist extremist agenda.Click here to Speak Out! http://ga4.org/campaign/Budget05
BRING OUR TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ:
Senator Kennedy says “It’s time to take the target off our troops.” Sign the petition calling for American troops to come home by the end of 2006.
http://action.democraticmajority.com/petition/

STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY:

• Email your Members of Congress and ask them to strengthen Social Security, not weaken it with private accounts - go to: http://capwiz.com/aarp/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5744286

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to explain why George Bush's plan to cut promised Social Security benefits is wrong. The DNC has made it really easy to do, just go to http://www.democrats.org/action/200501050001.html

• Join AARP's fight to keep Social Security strong at http://www.aarp.org/tools/partner?url=http://capwiz.com/aarp/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5744286

SAVE OUR NATIONAL FORESTS

If influential leaders like California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stand by silently, President Bush will eliminate the Roadless Area Conservation Rule that protects unspoiled national forest lands from coast to coast. Tell Gov. Schwarzenegger to stand up for California's and all of America's national forests. For what you can do go to http://www.savebiogems.org/takeaction.asp



SAVE CONSUMERS’ RIGHT TO SUE CORPORATE LOOTERS & POLLUTERS


The Senate has approved restriction of class action lawsuits to federal court, even where existing state remedies might be more effective. It will be voted on in the House any day now. Urge your Congressional representative to Vote NO!
http://www.usalone.com/class_action.htm


PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF THE U.S. SENATE: SAVE THE FILIBUSTER

From Common Cause: The filibuster has a long history in the Senate of fending off actions supported by a bare majority, but deeply offensive to the minority. If an individual senator were to abuse the privilege of the filibuster, he or she could be over overridden by a super majority of 60 votes.

To remove a long-standing parliamentary maneuver to serve immediate partisan goals violates core democratic values and is an anathema to the Senate's long standing commitment to consensus and a bipartisan deliberative process.

It is wrong to jettison a longtime Senate procedure simply because it is inconvenient to one party’s goals. It is an abuse of power to strip the Senate minority of a tool designed to protect its rights – rights both parties have vociferously defended throughout the Senate’s history

We the undersigned call on the United States Senators not to support changing of long standing Senate filibuster rules to blatantly advance one party’s goals.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=317178&en=jfKJJLPpGaLGJSPCK9KCIUOvGfKWI1NvE8JHKYOIKtH

PROTEST SCHWARZENEGGER’S BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR CALIFORNIA
Send a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger regarding his budget. Tell the Governor you do not want him piling debt onto our grandchildren just so he can pursue the Bush/Rove/Norquist extremist agenda.Click here to Speak Out! http://ga4.org/campaign/Budget05
BRING OUR TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ:
Senator Kennedy says “It’s time to take the target off our troops.” Sign the petition calling for American troops to come home by the end of 2006.
http://action.democraticmajority.com/petition/

STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY:

• Email your Members of Congress and ask them to strengthen Social Security, not weaken it with private accounts - go to: http://capwiz.com/aarp/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5744286


Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to explain why George Bush's plan to cut promised Social Security benefits is wrong. The DNC has made it really easy to do, just go to http://www.democrats.org/action/200501050001.html

• Join AARP's fight to keep Social Security strong at http://www.aarp.org/tools/partner?url=http://capwiz.com/aarp/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5744286


SAVE OUR NATIONAL FORESTS

If influential leaders like California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stand by silently, President Bush will eliminate the Roadless Area Conservation Rule that protects unspoiled national forest lands from coast to coast. Tell Gov. Schwarzenegger to stand up for California's and all of America's national forests. For what you can do go to http://www.savebiogems.org/takeaction.asp


ASK CONGRESS FOR REAL SECURITY REFORMS—NOT A WAR ON IMMIGRANTS
From the ACLU: The United States is a nation of immigrants with a long, proud history of granting asylum to those fleeing from religious or political persecution. But "security reform" legislation introduced in Congress makes a mockery of that tradition with an outrageous requirement that would force many asylum seekers to get supporting evidence from the very governments they are fleeing. House Judiciary Committee Chairman, James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), has proposed a bill . This bill would allow officials to require people seeking asylum to get supporting evidence from the very governments they are fleeing. It would also impose federal control over the issuance of state drivers licenses, even if this violation of their own policies. Further, it would expand the PATRIOT Act to allow deportations of lawful permanent residents for providing non-violent, humanitarian support to organizations later labeled as "terrorist" by the government, even where such support was completely legal at the time it was provided.
Tell Congess to oppose H.R. 418, the REAL ID ACT of 2005:

http://www.aclu.org/ImmigrantsRights/ImmigrantsRights.cfm?ID=17407&c=22

[dzika]

19. Orange, CA conservative elected without media, campaigning or endorseme

From Big Action! blog:
Feb 15, 2005

Orange, California conservative elected without media, campaigning or endorsements

Steve Rocco elected to Orange,
Calif., school board

Steve Rocco was elected to the Orange, Calif., school board despite never having campaigned publicly, never landing an endorsement and never speaking to the media. He did this by running against a guy with a Hispanic last name and listing his profession as a "writer/educator," though his writing seems limited to manifestos masquerading as autobiography. Yet a chorus of Orange County conservatives have embraced him, believing that anyone not associated with the teachers' union must be a good thing (one Orange County Register editorial writer even admitted voting for him). But they're probably having second thoughts now. Once Rocco was sworn in, he started railing against "The Partnership," which he claims is a conspiracy aimed at turning Orange County into a dictatorship. I'm sure it's only a coincidence, but the partnership is made up entirely of politicians who have defeated him and judges that have sentenced him for shoplifting. Not surprisingly, the OC Weekly is chronicling his every move. More suprisingly, they're convinced he's really Andy Kaufman.

Could it be true? Did the famous comedian fake his own death, only to return to serve the civic needs of Southern California? Man, I hope so.


source: http://bigaction.blogs.com/big_action/2005/02/rococo_for_rocc.html

[Wilms]

20. Voters' mantra: Fix the system

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Voters' mantra: Fix the system
Reform suggestions fly, but not all agree on size of problem

By CHRISTINE FREY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Sissi Longthorpe received three absentee ballots for Washington's primary election.

She burned two of them, she said, and voted one.

"This is totally unacceptable," said Longthorpe, 81, of Kent. "It has to be changed."

-snip-

Although those attending did not all agree on what steps to take (is a hand or machine recount more accurate, for instance?), there was one common theme: The election system is flawed and should be fixed.

-snip/more-

<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/212112_elexreform15.html>