Thursday 3/3 Election Fraud, Reform, & Updates Thread

[dzika]

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=203x337104

(Please consider voting this page for greatest page!)

[dzika]

1. Video - Countdown: USA Next (Swift Vets) use stolen photo to attack AARP -

(re-post)

Video - Countdown: USA Next (Swift Vets) use stolen photo to attack AARP - 3/2

Video in Real Media format (4 minutes)

[dzika]

2. ‘Velvet Revolution’ launches voting firm divestment campaign

3/2/2005

‘Velvet Revolution’ launches voting firm divestment campaign

By Jesse Kanson-Benanav | RAW STORY Managing Editor

The Velvet Revolution has begun!

This time, however, it’s not in Ukraine, but right here in the United States.

Led by Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com, the Velvet Revolution (VelvetRevolution.us) is a coalition of 80 progressive groups who say they have united to bring accountability and transparency to American voting procedures. Targeting the nine leading vote machine manufacturers–Diebold, Sequoia Voting Systems, Election Systems and Software, HartInterCivic, MicroVote, Danaher-Guardian, TriadGSI, UniLect, and Advanced Voting Solutions–the Velvet Revolution hopes to open vote-counting procedures in America to greater public scrutiny.

“These companies are behaving terribly,” Friedman said. “They are all Republican companies that insist on keeping their information private.”

Friedman and the Velvet Revolution coalition insist that because such corporations are contracted to serve a public function–to manage vote-counting systems–they should be accountable to the public in the same way government agencies are. The coalition takes issue with the fact that all nine companies refuse to release their software, saying it is proprietary, and will not issue paper ballots or receipts.

more here

[dzika]

3. Ohio lawmakers squabble over polls

Wed, Mar. 02, 2005

Ohio lawmakers squabble over polls

JOHN McCARTHY
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - In an odd trailing note to Ohio's presidential election, the state argued Wednesday that a lawsuit challenging how it runs the polls should stay alive, while the Democrats who filed it said it should be thrown out as moot.

The Ohio Democratic Party brought the case against Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and two county election boards on Election Day, saying long lines in Franklin and Knox counties violated constitutional guarantees of the right to vote. People in line at the 7:30 p.m. closing time were allowed to cast their ballots, but it took until after midnight for some of them to do so.

The day of the election, U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley ordered Blackwell's office and the central Ohio counties, which use electronic voting machines, to provide alternative methods of voting.

...
"Our action expired when the court's order expired," Trafford said. "The election is over. The votes have been counted. The president has been inaugurated. ... The state's counterclaim does not present a live controversy."

more here

[dzika]

4. Executive Director Of Milwaukee Election Commission Resigns

March 1, 2005

Executive Director Of Milwaukee Election Commission Resigns

MILWAUKEE -- The executive director of Milwaukee's Election Commission has resigned.

Lisa Artison (pictured) informed Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett of her decision Friday. The mayor responded Tuesday.

"I am most appreciative of Lisa's service during a most difficult election cycle and wish her the best," Barrett said.

Artison came under fire after the Nov. 2 election because the Election Commission could not verify the addresses of about 10,000 voters.

She was named to the post in July and had been on sick leave the past month.

source

[dzika]

5. Meet the New Jeff Gannon, Same As the Old Jeff Gannon: Disgraced

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Meet the New Jeff Gannon, Same As the Old Jeff Gannon: Disgraced Republican Activist, Selling Scandal By the Pound, Continues to Embarrass White House

By ADVOCATE STAFF

We report, you decide.

Decide what you think of former Administration-sanctioned White House "news" correspondent Jeff Gannon saying that New York Times reporter Maureen Dowd "probably needs a bit of the old Jeff Gannon to relieve some of that pent up whatever."

In 2002, Gannon accused Dowd of being "jealous" of President Bush's physique.

More recently, Gannon has alluded (twice) on his blog to his entirely unsubstantiated belief that Dowd is an alcoholic.

This is in contrast to The Advocate's entirely well-founded belief that Gannon is, literally, a whore.

pictorial evidence for the proposition>.

Gannon has also bragged, on the radical conservative web forum Free Republic, that he is a "loose cannon."

continued at THE NASHUA ADVOCATE

[dzika]

6. Sean Hannity Is a Great American

Sean Hannity Is a Great American

by Paul Servodio

"Sean Hannity is a great American!" proclaims a deep-voiced, male voice-over on 640 AM WHLO for Sean Hannity’s daily radio program. Actually, the man doing the voice-over shouldn’t announce it with so much gusto. Instead he should speak the sentence in the form of a question: "Sean Hannity is a great American?" Unfortunately, that will never happen, at least not on WHLO, where almost the entire program schedule is completely comprised of staunch George "Stalin" Bush supporters. In fact, WHLO should change their call letters to WGOP.

Start your morning off with Quinn & Rose, Bush supporters from Pittsburgh. They are followed by Laura Ingraham, another Bush apologist. Enjoy your lunch with the grand spin doctor himself, Rush Limbaugh. Rush is then followed by his protégé, Hannity, for your drive home. Please, try and eat your dinner with the mangy, rabid dog, Michael Savage, who comes on the air with more hate and propaganda. Finally, though, real radio programming starts at 10:00 p.m. with the Rollye James Show and then Coast to Coast AM.

How can anyone say that, "Sean Hannity is a great American!"? What has he done that is so great? Did he speak out against the Patriot Acts? Did he denounce the war of aggression against Iraq? The answer is a resounding no! In fact, not only did he toe the line with regards to the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq, he’s beating on the war drums for the military to take on Iran. Are these the virtues that embody a great American? Hardly!

When I think of great Americans I think of people such as Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Ludwig von Mises, Henry Hazlitt, Murray Rothbard and Lew Rockwell. These men are great Americans, greats among so many others. Sean Hannity is a terrible American! In fact, Sean Hannity is an American traitor. Not necessarily a traitor to the United States, but rather a traitor to the very ideas and principles he supposedly supports.

more here

[dzika]

7. WA Election task force suggests action to restore public trust

Wednesday, March 2, 2005

WA Election task force suggests action to restore public trust

by RACHEL LA CORTE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- An election reform task force created by Gov. Christine Gregoire in the wake of her razor-thin victory last year found that the public's trust in the state's election system was damaged by imperfections and mistakes that "are clearly unacceptable."

In a 23-page report obtained by The Associated Press, the task force suggests 15 specific actions it wants to see the governor and Legislature take, including moving up the primary date and requiring voter identification at the polls. The report was to be released at a news conference with Gregoire Thursday morning in Olympia and Thursday afternoon in Spokane.

The task force, co-chaired by Secretary of State Sam Reed and former state Sen. Betti Sheldon, held five public hearings around the state with a total of more than 455 people in attendance. The task force also received nearly 700 responses to questionnaires that were distributed at the public hearings and available on the secretary of state's Web site.

The issue of reform jumped quickly to the forefront after Gregoire, a Democrat, won the governor's race by 129 votes after a hand recount of nearly 2.9 million ballots after the Nov. 2 election.

more here

[dzika]

8. Lawyers in tire-slashing case poke holes

March 2, 2005

Lawyers in tire-slashing case poke holes

If prosecutors thought the five Democrats charged in the Great Tire-Slashing Caper were going to roll over and look for a quick plea, they had best think again.

Defense lawyers representing the Kerry-Edwards campaign operatives are going on the offensive.

Days after receiving the bulk of the state's evidence, including witness statements, the defendants' lawyers this week attacked the case, saying they are planning to take the matter to trial.

"It is, in many ways, a pathetically weak case," said Rodney Cubbie, who is representing Michael Pratt, the 32-year-old son of former Acting Mayor Marvin Pratt.

"It's totally underwhelming," said Jeffrey Purnell, the lawyer for Justin Howell, a 20-year-old Racine native.

more here

[dzika]

9. AFL-CIO boss calls for battle against Bush plan

March 02, 2005

AFL-CIO boss calls for battle against Bush plan

By David Kihara

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Tuesday strongly denounced the Bush administration's proposal to privatize Social Security and vowed to rally all union affiliates to work against the plan in what Sweeney described as the "largest mobilization effort ever."

The AFL-CIO, which had almost 13 million members across the country in 2004, is the largest union in America.

...
McEntee equated the effort to block the Bush Social Security proposal to the polarizing 2004 election, and added that the day after the Social Security plan is scrapped is the day that Bush will be considered officially a lame-duck president.

...
"Our people understand the systematic attack" against seniors and Social Security, said Gerard, who also serves as the chairman of the AFL-CIO's legislative committee.

more here

[dzika]

10. Governor wants to exclude consumer group from campaign cash suit

Thursday, March 3, 2005

Governor wants to exclude consumer group from campaign cash suit

By TOM CHORNEAU

Attorneys representing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and some of his closest political allies are putting up an aggressive challenge to stop a consumer group from helping to defend a state limit on campaign contributions.

The California Public Interest Research Group, CalPIRG, has filed a request in Sacramento Superior Court to intervene in support of a state rule that limits how much money donors can give to a candidate-controlled committee.

With a hearing on the issue set for Friday, attorneys representing the governor and the Citizens to Save California, a political action committee organized by Schwarzenegger supporters, have filed briefs opposing CalPIRG's support of the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

"You've got to ask yourself why are they devoting so much energy to keeping this reform group out of the lawsuit," said attorney Lance Olson, who is representing CalPIRG. "And the answer is that they know they have an advantage. They've got the FPPC outgunned and they don't want them to have any help defending their regulation."

more here

[dzika]

11. Video - Daily Show: NBC's Brian Williams endangers judge with false story

Video - Daily Show: NBC's Brian Williams endangers judge with false story

Video in Real Media format (2 minutes)

[dzika]

12. California Ballot-box wars

Thursday, March 3, 2005

California Ballot-box wars

THERE ARE reasons to wonder whether Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- and supporters of his government reform plans -- really want a showdown at the ballot box.

After all, if the governor follows through with his threat to call a special election in November, his three proposals are likely to have plenty of company on the ballot. Dozens of other proposals -- by a wide assortment of interest groups -- are being drafted or circulated for signatures in anticipation of what could become an overdose of direct democracy.

Schwarzenegger may be a world-class salesman, but his proposals to overhaul the state pension system, change the method of drawing legislative districts and weaken tenure protections for public-school teachers will have to compete for voter attention with an abundance of hot-button issues.

Californians may be asked to vote on parental consent for abortion, driver's licenses for illegal immigrants, the minimum wage, a car buyer's bill of rights, a repeal of Proposition 13 protections for commercial property, school-funding guarantees, a repeal of a newly passed tax on millionaire incomes, restrictions on the use of union dues for political activity and many other proposals.

The governor's allies in the business community -- who are poised to fund his initiative campaigns -- may find themselves diverting resources to other measures.

more here

[dzika]

13. Experts shed light on the inner workings of politics

Thu, Mar. 03, 2005

Experts shed light on the inner workings of politics

By Bill Cotterell
CAPITAL CURMUDGEON

GAINESVILLE - Being called "incompetent" and having your vote compared to a box of breakfast cereal or a soft drink is startling, even when the experts making those analogies mean them in only the nicest way.

I was invited to watch an all-day forum of political science professors and campaign consultants at the University of Florida last week. Titled "Studying Politics: What we know and don't know about campaigns and elections," the roundtable brought together eight or 10 academic theorists from all over the country with an equal number of campaign consultants who have handled governors, U.S. senators and ballot initiatives for both parties.

They dissected the Bush-Kerry race. They told tales of candidate gaffes and professorial pride that went awry. They pondered such imponderables as the future of Blackberries and other instant-message tools in reaching voters.

They examined the influence of outside groups like MoveOn.org and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which buy their own advertising and influence voters in ways the candidates they're supporting might not always like.

They spoke of bloggers as the new, true grass roots. They asked each other if campaigns really matter any more (The consensus: Yes, they get people to vote but don't change many minds.)

read more

[dzika]

14. Is Bush Targeting the Media?

Thursday, March 3, 2005; 7:44 AM

Is Bush Targeting the Media?

By Howard Kurtz

...
So: Are the Bushies at "war" with the Fourth Estate? Is there an insidious plot to weaken the media establishment, to carpet-bomb its credibility like the Saddam regime?

...
Eric Boehlert of Salon has a somewhat different view:

"For the last four years the persistent story line about the White House's relationship with the press has focused on the administration's discipline, denial of access, and ability to stay on message. The Bush administration, according to this account, is expert at managing information, using secrecy, carrots and sticks, and carefully crafted talking points to control the news.

"But in the wake of revelations about the aggressive and unprecedented tactics employed by the White House to manipulate the news, that relatively benign interpretation is being reexamined. Recent headlines about paid-off pundits, video press releases disguised as news telecasts, and the remarkable press access granted to a right-wing pseudo-journalist working under a phony name, have led some to conclude that the White House is not simply aggressively managing the news, but is out to sabotage the press corps from within, to undermine the integrity and reputation of journalism itself.

"The White House and its media allies, echoing a deep-rooted conservative antagonism toward the so-called liberal media, say they are simply countering its bias. But critics charge that the White House, along with partners like Fox News and Sinclair Broadcasting, organizations whose allegiance to the Republican Party outweighs their commitment to journalism, is actually trying to permanently weaken the press. Its motivation, they say, is twofold. Weakening the press weakens an institution that's structurally an adversary of the White House. And if the press loses its credibility, that eliminates agreed-upon facts -- the commonly accepted information that is central to public debate.

"'Republicans have a clear, agreed-upon plan how to diminish the mainstream press,' says Ron Suskind, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who was granted unique access inside the White House in 2002 to report on the administration's communication strategy. 'For them, essentially the way to handle the press is the same as how to handle the federal government; you starve the beast. When it's in a weakened and undernourished condition, then you're able to effect a variety of subtle partisan and political attacks. Armstrong Williams and others are examples of that.'"

Maybe. But I still think the press has done a mighty fine job weakening itself.

read more

[dzika]

15. Ohio officials want a judge to rule on the state's role in the 2004 electi

3/3/2005

Presidential Election Goes to Court

Ohio officials want a judge to rule on the state's role in the 2004 election

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The state is asking a federal judge to determine whether it complied with the law in how it conducted last year's presidential election in Ohio. Lawyers for the state say it needs a precedent for challenges in future elections.

The request grew out of a case originally brought by the Ohio Democratic Party against Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and two county boards of election on Election Day. The party sought to alleviate long lines at polling places in two counties.

After Kerry conceded, the Democrats asked Marbley to dismiss the case. However, the state is trying to keep it alive so Marbley will rule on its request. The state filed a motion to intervene, asking Marbley to rule that the state and county boards did not violate constitutional guarantees of the right to vote, as claimed by the Democrats.

source

[dzika]

16. The New Voting Rights Movement Begins Here Today

March 2, 2005

The New Voting Rights Movement Begins Here Today

by Steven Rosenfeld

As continuing investigations into the 2004 presidential election reveal yet more flaws in the nation’s election machinery, the call for meaningful election reform is growing across the country and in Washington, where members of Congress who opposed Ohio’s 2004 Electoral College vote have proposed sweeping reforms. It remains to be seen if a growing coalition of civil rights activists, election reformers and others can create a clamor for change that cannot be ignored – even by the Republican-dominated Congress.

This past weekend, civil rights activists, election reformers and peace groups held a series of teach-ins in California where they laid out a broad and deepening case for congressional action. The sessions featured emotional footage taken in Ohio this November. It featured updates from investigators who challenged the certified results in Ohio and New Mexico, including new findings that cast further doubt on the accuracy and reliability of the newest voting systems used and their related methods of counting the ‘certified’ vote. Academics who specialize in statistical analysis explained why exit polls projecting John Kerry the winner were probably correct – and why refutations by the polling firm that conducted the national exit poll did not hold up.

Meanwhile, as more than two dozen election reform bills have been introduced in Congress, the focus also included organizing strategies to urge meaningful congressional action in 2005. This weekend in Selma, Alabama, Rev. Jesse Jackson will lead a march at the Edmund Pettis Bridge, where 40 years ago Monday – March 7, 1965 - a protest that turned bloody caught the nation’s attention and launched the events that culminated in the passage and signing of the National Voting Rights Act the following summer. Many of those speaking at the California teach-ins said the GOP’s tactics in last year’s swing states – tilting the vote toward President Bush - were a return to the tactics commonly used in the country’s racist, Jim Crow past, before the 1965 Voting Rights Act ended electoral apartheid in America.

“Unless we get this right on voting, nothing else matters,” said Robert Fitrakis, one of four attorneys who filed Ohio’s Election Challenge lawsuit who first reported many of that state’s abuses in www.FreePress.org, where he is editor and publisher. “The facts are on our side. We want full transparency… The new voting rights movement begins here today.”

read more

[dzika]

17. Video - MSNBC: Discussion of Dean's plan to take back the South - 3/3

Video - MSNBC: Discussion of Dean's plan to take back the South - 3/3

Video in Real Media format (10 minutes)

[dzika]

18. Libertarians To Testify in Ohio House: Modernize Ohio's Election Laws

March 3, 2005

Libertarians To Testify in Ohio House: Modernize Ohio's Election Laws

by Robert Butler

"The Libertarian Party is on the ballot in Russia, Afganistan, and Iraq, but not in Ohio," notes LPO Executive Director Robert Butler. "We had a veteran and a hero from the current war in Iraq who wanted to run as a Libertarian last year, but I had to explain to him why that wasn't possible."

The Libertarian Party of Ohio is asking the Ohio House of Representatives to modernize the state's ballot access laws.

Robert Butler, 31, Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Ohio will testify on Wednesday March 2nd before the Ohio House Election and Ethics Committee.

"Our state's current ballot access laws were created during the Red Scare of the early 20th century," adds State Chair Jason Hallmark, "They do not reflect the ideals of open democracy, the foundation of our great country."

more here

[dzika]

19. Election 2004 Graph by Population

[dzika]

20. Video - DemocracyNow: AFL-CIO to double political spending - 3/3

Video - DemocracyNow: AFL-CIO to double political spending - 3/3

Video in Real Media format (1 minute)

[dzika]

21. O'Reilly on ACLU: "I think they're a terrorist group"

Is there any doubt that Rove has orchestrated an all out offensive against the AARP?

---

Thursday March 3, 2005 at 2:09 PM

O'Reilly on ACLU: "I think they're a terrorist group. ... I think they're terrorists"

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly labeled the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) a "terrorist group" for filing a lawsuit against Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and for opposing Bush administration anti-terrorism measures that the group believes are unconstitutional. The lawsuit accuses Rumsfeld of approving illegal interrogation methods that led to the torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. military custody; the ACLU also believes that measures such as federal "no-fly" lists and expanded investigative and surveillance powers for federal law enforcement under the USA Patriot Act are unconstitutional. O'Reilly added: "They're terrorizin' me and my family. They're terrorizing me. I think they're terrorists."

From the March 1 broadcast of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:

O'REILLY: This ACLU has no strategy to fight the war on terror at all. Everything the United States government does -- everything -- they oppose. Everything! Nothing they like in defending ourselves against terrorists -- nothing. ...

No-fly list, remember that? National Transportation Safety Administration put a no-fly list of travelers who they considered a threat. ACLU sued, challenged it. Can't have a "no-fly" list. Okay? That's number one. Airline discrimination. So there were some people that were saying, "Well, look, if we have these guys and they just came in from Jordan or they came in from Oman, we're gonna watch 'em closely, pull 'em aside, detain 'em, talk to 'em." ACLU sued. "No, can't do that."

Patriot Act? Uh-uh. No Patriot Act. Can't be listening on floating wiretaps like you do on drug dealers -- uh-uh. Can't try to catch terrorists like that. Can't be lookin' at people checkin' out weird things in the library -- uh-uh. Okay? Nope, sued.

(...)

Immigration, all right? ACLU sued, filed a federal lawsuit challenging an initiative by (former Attorney General John) Ashcroft to enlist state and local police in the routine enforcement of federal immigration laws. No, no, can't do that. Can't have the local police or the state police; help the feds enforce immigration laws -- no way! Can't do it!

Guantánamo Bay -- all of 'em have to have civilian lawyers. No enemy combatants -- no way, uh-uh. Come on. Come on. Every single thing the United States government tries to do to protect us against terrorism, these people oppose and they'll sue -- just like Christmas. Same thing. Same thing. "We'll sue you -- put the crèche in the main part of town, sing a Christmas carol -- we'll sue you." Sue, sue, sue, sue, sue.

So look, I'm declarin' war on the ACLU. I think they're a terrorist group. They're terrorizin' me and my family. They're terrorizing me. I think they're terrorists. Can I get some lawyers to help me out here? Can we sue 'em? They're puttin' us all in danger.

In the past, O'Reilly has called the ACLU "the most dangerous organization in the United States of America right now ... second next to Al Qaeda" and "a fascist organization." He has also said that "Hitler would be a card-carrying ACLU member. So would Stalin."


Contacts:

Bill O'Reilly
[e-mail]

The Radio Factor
Call in live: 1-877-9-NO SPIN (12pm-2pm eastern time)

Westwood One
Bart Tessler
Sr. VP, Network News / Talk Programming
202.457.7998

Westwood One
Shane Coppola
President/CEO
Officer
212.641.2101

source

[dzika]

22. Conyers Forces Election Reform on House Floor

Thursday 03 March 2005

Conyers Forces Election Reform on House Floor

By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Rep. John Conyers forced the issue of election reform on the House floor this afternoon.

The House is now considering a bill to provide continuity in congressional representation. In plain english, the bill attempts to address the problem of what would happen should a significant portion of congress get wiped out by a terrorist attack. Basically, it establishes a new system of deadlines and special elections in that event.

Rep. Conyers finds it ridiculous that the House is spending so much energy (and acting with such speed) to solve a hypothetical problem, about a hypothetical election, when there are so many real problems with our real elections.

In a surprise maneuver, which is called a 'Motion to Recommit' (basically an amendment offered at the end of consideration of a bill; the GOP generally do not get more than five minutres notice of it, and the debate is five minutes per side), Conyers forced the issue.

His official statement reads as follows:

Mr. Speaker, for a measure that purports to protect our democracy, I have to admit the manner by which this legislation has been brought before us today considerably undermines those very principles.

On the substance, this bill - the subject of so much concern - falls for short of fixing what is wrong with our democracy.

When it comes to elections, this is not even close to our biggest concern. Why are we worrying so much about hypothetical problems about a hypothetical election when we have had two consecutive elections in this country where ACTUAL VOTERS were disenfranchised?

On those issues, this House remains silent. It remains silent about the ten hour lines that disenfranchised minority voters in Ohio. It remains silent about the 4,000 votes lost in North Carolina because of a faulty voting machines. It remains silent about the intimidating tactics, fake letters and fliers, and other illegal acts designed to disenfranchise minority voters that have been used by one political party to bolster their electoral fortunes.

Will it help the inner-city voter in Franklin County, Ohio who waited ten hours in the pouring rain, while suburban voters in that county had no appreciable wait times?

What will this bill do to correct the problems that occurred in the most recent presidential election?

Will it help the elderly voter in Lucas County who requested an absentee ballot that never showed up and then on election day was refused a provisional ballot?

Will it do anything for the Hispanic voter in Hamilton County who was directed to the wrong voting table, and had their ballot thrown out because of a decision by the Secretary of State to throw out all ballots cast at the right polling place but the wrong precinct?

I'm afraid the answer to all of these questions is undoubtedly, "NO."

In addition, I'm afraid it will do nothing to offer an explanation for the numerous machines in Mahoning County that recorded Kerry votes for Bush; the improper purging that took place in Cuyhaoga County; the machine tampering that occurred in Hocking County; or the 99% turnout that took place in Miami County.

But here we are. In an end run around the legislative process, HR 841was introduced a mere 4 legislative business days ago on February 16th. On the following day, a hasty markup of the bill was held by the House Administration Committee. One legislative day later, the bill was taken before rules. And today, just four days after its introduction, here we are.

But we don't have time for real election reform. For the House leadership, that can wait for another day. The American people deserve more.

Discussion of this development is taking place on the truthout FYI blog.

source

[dzika]

23. America's Neo-Nationalism: Extreme, Fanatical Patriotism

From Radio Left:
March 2, 2005

America's Neo-Nationalism: Extreme, Fanatical Patriotism

by jo swift

What has happened to America? We are witnessing a conflagration, a synthesis of elements: fear, alienation, xenophobia, ignorance, selfishness.

The result? Call it Neo-Nationalism. New, because unlike the nationalism before it, which allows my country right or wrong, New Nationalism shirks the latter: the country cannot falter, it and its leader are, like the pontiff in Catholic theology, infallible.

While for the New Nationalist, belief may trump facts, Truth is at the core of New Nationalism - but Truth need not actually be true.

...
The cult of personality is New Nationalism's most reliable tactic: make cowards look like heroes and heroes cowards. Appearing is everything: to make appear is to make true. Noam Chomsky put it well in "The Non-Election of 2004".

"…The electoral campaigns were run by the PR industry…(whose)…guiding principle is deceit. Its task is to undermine the "free markets" we are taught to revere: mythical entities in which informed consumers make rational choices. In such scarcely imaginable systems, businesses would provide information about their products: cheap, easy, simple."

America's dying democracy lies deeper than fraudulent elections, an illegitimate administration and spurious wars. Democracy ends when citizens stop understanding its meaning.

One of the merits (or one of the flaws) of democracy is that it allows mistakes to be made. But voting against democracy is the one mistake that democracy does not permit.

Supporting candidates whose entire agenda opposes the principles of democratic society (habeas corpus, free speech, equity) does not exercise the right to vote or choose. It exercises the non-right to destroy.

read more

[dzika]

24. Big Rally in Sante Fe, New Mexico Saturday for Election Reform

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Big Rally at Sante Fe Roundhouse Saturday for Election Reform

To generate renewed support for Voter Verifiable Paper Ballots and Automatic Audits of election results, there will be a Rally from Noon to 2:00 PM at the East entrance to the Roundhouse in Santa Fe on Saturday, March 5. The goal is to attract at least 300 people so we can keep our election reform requirements in the spotlight as bills are negotiated.

It's hoped that the Saturday date will permit those who work during the week to participate and express their views along with those who have had the time and energy to attend weekday events. The media and selected legislators and bill analysts have been invited.

There are many election reform bills percolating on both the House and Senate sides as we move into the last stages of the 60-day Legislative Session in Santa Fe. At the moment, passionate, behind the scenes negotiations are taking place, with constant give and take and day-to-day changes shaping the final bills.

As Terry Riley of NN Democratic Friends says, "We do not have a crystal ball, so we cannot know that our bill, the McSorley Bill (SB1065), is the best. We have reviewed almost every bill out there and we believe that the McSorley Bill has the greatest chance of improving our election system the most. We believe that the McSorley Bill will make election fraud unbelievably difficult to try much less succeed and so we want to continue supporting the McSorley Bill."

The Senate Rules Committee has bypassed McSorley's bill and is currently involved in finalizing its own version of election reform, working with Governor Richardson's office and his recommendations on this issue. While this version of the bill may provide many of the requirements we support, in its current form it's not as clear and comprehensive as the McSorley bill. United New Mexico Voters and others are working to substitute language from the McSorley bill into this one and/or to get SB1065 passed on its own.

One factor that's affecting the process is the cost of the changes in terms of voting machine purchases and other expenses. But we believe you get what you pay for. We want an election process that is trustworthy and transparent.

Please stand up with your fellow progressives on March 5th and ask the New Mexico Legislature to provide us with an election reform bill that is strong and effective. You are urged to bring signs and your friends. You can download some protest signs created by Terry Riley here and here.

Click to get some idea of how many election reform bills are floating around at the Legislature this year. Scrolls down the document to the topic "Elections."

source

[tommcintyre]

25. BLAST 391 National Media Contacts to Participate: Curtis virtual conferenc

Send just four emails to reach 391 National Media Contacts!



Tell the National Media to Participate in the Upcoming BlogCall Virtual Press Conference

I ask that you join me in urging our national media to participate in the upcoming BlogCall (details/general info below) regarding Clint Curtis, Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), and the "vote-flipping" software scandal. This is a very important story, and deserves national media coverage. The following is the email that you will be sending to 391 national media contacts.

Please go to the following link to send the email:
http://www.independentmediasource.com/voteintegrity.htm

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BlogCall2 Tuesday 3/8 at 1 pm ET / 10 am PT: Brad Friedman on Clint Curtis

Please participate in the upcoming BlogCall (details/general info below) regarding Clint Curtis, Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), and the "vote-flipping" software scandal. This is a very important story, and deserves Mainstream media coverage.

A little background: Computer programmer Clint Curtis testified before the US House Judiciary Committee that he was hired to write a program to flip the votes electronically by Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL).

Some resources:
- Article: Pulp Nonfiction: A whistle blower alleges that U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney might have rigged the election in South Florida
http://www.newtimesbpb.com/issues/2005-02-10/news/news.html
- Blog: Clint Curtis' "show stopper" testimony causes "gasps" at hearing
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/12/13/18416/541
- Video: Clinton Curtis testifies before House Judiciary
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001063.htm
- Partial transcript of video: http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2004/12/13/18416/541/77#77
- Over 20 articles from the ongoing investigation (most recent – 2/28/05) can be found here: http://www.bradblog.com/ClintCurtis.htm

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BlogCall2 details: http://democrats.com/blogcall2

Featured Blogger: Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com
Topic: Clint Curtis, Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), and the "vote-flipping" software scandal
Permanent BlogCall link: http://democrats.com/blogcall2
Wiki:
Pre-call discussion: http://democrats.com/blogcall2.1
BlogCall Broadcast: RadioLeft.com
BlogCall Archive: WhiteRoseSociety.org
Post-call discussion: http://democrats.com/blogcall2.2
Post-call workgroup:
About BlogCall: http://blogcall.org/
To request credentials: http://democrats.com/contact

----------------------------------------------------
BlogCall general info: http://democrats.com/blogcall

Q. What is BlogCall?
BlogCall is a regular conference call hosted by progressive and Democratic "bloggers" to discuss exposes of Republican and rightwing crimes and scandals that deserve national media attention. We invite mainstream journalists to participate fully in each BlogCall.
Each BlogCall features a progressive or Democratic "blogger" who has broken a major expose. The format is a virtual press conference, in which the featured "blogger" will present his/her story for 15 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of Q&A about the story.

Q. Why was BlogCall created?
Because progressive "bloggers" (including investigative reporters) cannot get their important exposes covered in the mass media - unlike rightwing bloggers, who get their lies and smears covered immediately on the DrudgeReport, Rush Limbaugh, FOX News, Joe Scarborough, and the rest of the Rightwing Media.

Q. What are the specific objectives of BlogCall?
To share knowledge of important exposes across the large community of progressive bloggers
To "highlight" each expose by encouraging BlogCall participants to feature the expose in their own forums and to help each featured blogger get covered in the MSM. This activity will be led by the Publicity Committee.
To "deepen" each expose by generating ideas for leads and by enlisting dedicated bloggers in pursuing those leads. This activity will be led by the Investigation Committee.
To persuade the MSM to cover BlogCall exposes through grassroots media activism
To encourage focused collaboration among groups of bloggers and activists using productivity-enhancing tools like FreeConference.com and Yahoogroups

Q. How does BlogCall work?
Each call features a hot expose by a progressive blogger chosen by the Program Committee
50 minutes total
2 minute welcome and introduction by BlogCall host Bob Fertik
15 minutes presentation by the featured blogger (with supporting witnesses or experts invited by the blogger)
20 minutes Q&A - press 6 to un-mute yourself, wait for a quiet moment, state your name and ask a concise question (30 seconds max), then press 6 to re-mute yourself and wait for the answer
13 minutes for quick announcements on other important topics - press 6 to un-mute yourself, wait for a quiet moment, state your name and make a concise announcement (30 seconds max), then press 6 to re-mute yourself and let others make their announcements

More details here: http://democrats.com/blogcall

###

<As time permits, I will post an express blaster (just two clicks to send to the top 52 national media contacts) also in the next couple of days, for this BlogCall.>

[dzika]

26. Videos - CNN Inside Politics

Federal Election Commission may regulate Blogs, links, emails!

(Forwarding a political email could be considered a campaign contribution.)



Video in Real Media format (3 minutes)

---

Political Bytes: Kerry fu ndraiser for Hillary, Edwards has new job, AFL-CIO changes

(CNN should re-title "Political Bytes" the "Liberal Minute")



Video in Real Media format (1 minute)

[dzika]

27. The coming crackdown on blogging

"Even forwarding a political candidate's press release to a mailing list, depending on the details, could be punished by fines."

---

March 3, 2005

The coming crackdown on blogging

By Declan McCullagh

Bradley Smith says that the freewheeling days of political blogging and online punditry are over.

In just a few months, he warns, bloggers and news organizations could risk the wrath of the federal government if they improperly link to a campaign's Web site. Even forwarding a political candidate's press release to a mailing list, depending on the details, could be punished by fines.

Smith should know. He's one of the six commissioners at the Federal Election Commission, which is beginning the perilous process of extending a controversial 2002 campaign finance law to the Internet.

In 2002, the FEC exempted the Internet by a 4-2 vote, but U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly last fall overturned that decision. "The commission's exclusion of Internet communications from the coordinated communications regulation severely undermines" the campaign finance law's purposes, Kollar-Kotelly wrote.

Smith and the other two Republican commissioners wanted to appeal the Internet-related sections. But because they couldn't get the three Democrats to go along with them, what Smith describes as a "bizarre" regulatory process now is under way.

more here

[dzika]

28. Krauthammer used false stat on felon voting rights to condemn Clinton bill

Thursday March 3, 2005 at 4:41 PM

Krauthammer used false stat on felon voting rights to condemn Clinton bill

Expressing his opposition to legislation introduced by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) that would require states to restore voting rights to all convicted felons who have completed their sentences, syndicated Washington Post columnist and Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer falsely claimed that "only a third of states now allow felons to vote." In fact, 36 states -- more than two-thirds -- and the District of Columbia currently allow individuals who have been convicted of a felony and have completed their prison sentences, probation, and parole to vote.

Krauthammer's criticism followed a video clip of Clinton introducing the Count Every Vote Act of 2005 , which includes the voting rights provision, on the Senate floor on February 17.

From the March 2 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:

CLINTON (video clip): These people should be given the right to register to vote. An estimated 4.7 million Americans are not eligible to vote as a result of felony disenfranchisement laws.

(...)

KRAUTHAMMER: Look, first of all, it's incredibly hypocritical. The Democrats are arguing that states ought to decide things like gay rights and not the federal government. And here they want the states imposing the rule on the felons, where only a third of states now allow felons to vote.

In fact, only 14 states currently have laws preventing convicted felons who have completed their sentences from voting, according to a January 2005 study by The Sentencing Project, a research institute that studies criminal justice. Of those 14, six permanently deny voting rights to convicted felons, while eight have specific laws that extend the denial of voting rights beyond the end of parole or probation for certain finite periods or for particular offenses.

Clinton's bill would allow convicted felons to vote only if they are no longer on probation or parole, or currently serving a prison sentence

, a standard already matched by the 36 states noted earlier and the District of Columbia. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John Kerry (D-MA), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) have co-sponsored the bill.


Contacts:

Charles Krauthammer
[e-mail]

Special Report with Brit Hume
[e-mail]

FOX News Channel
1-888-369-4762
[e-mail]
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036

source

[dzika]

29. Washington Governor Gregoire proposes election reforms

Thursday, March 3, 2005

Washington Governor Gregoire proposes election reforms

By RAY LANE

OLYMPIA, Wash. - With the hangover from the November elections finally wearing off, the push now is to look ahead – specifically, how to improve the state's voting process.

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire and Secretary of State Sam Reed announced Thursday the list of recommendations of her task force on election reform. The suggestions come in the wake of the hotly-debated governor's race and the two controversial recounts.

...
Headed by Reed and former state Senator Betti Sheldon, the force held five public hearings around the state.

...
One idea is to move up the primary by at least a month to give election workers more time to prepare for the general election and send ballots to military and overseas voters.

more here

[dzika]

30. Video - CNN: Unflattering New Yorker article about Dan Rather - 3/3

Video - CNN: Unflattering New Yorker article about Dan Rather - 3/3

Video in Real Media format (8 minutes)

[dzika]

31. Video - Hardball: Cokie Roberts on Hillary Clinton for President in 2008

Video - Hardball: Cokie Roberts on Hillary Clinton for President in 2008

Video in Real Media format (1 minute)

[dzika]

32. Eight GOP congressmen endorse Schwarzenegger's push for '06 district remap

Thursday, March 3, 2005

Eight GOP congressmen endorse Schwarzenegger's push for 2006 district remap

Eight of the 20 California Republicans in Congress have endorsed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's push for new legislative and congressional districts for the 2006 elections.

In a letter to the Republican governor, the lawmakers said they agreed that drawing new districts for 2006 was a "necessary reform to restore fair and democratic electoral choice to the voters of California."

Schwarzenegger is backing legislation and an initiative to take the power to draw districts away from the Democrat-dominated Legislature and turn it over to a panel of retired judges, saying it would result in more seats that either party could win.

The governor wants new districts in place for the 2006 elections, although some experts say there's not enough time to do that. Normally, the districts wouldn't be redrawn until after the next federal census in 2010.

more here

[dzika]

33. Video - Olbermann reports on the new Gannon blog - 3/3

Video - Olbermann reports on the new Gannon blog - 3/3

Video in Real Media format (1 minute)

[dzika]

34. New Election, New Law Are Focus in North Carolina Provisional Ballot Heari

March 3, 2005

New Election, New Law Are Focus in North Carolina Provisional Ballot Hearing

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Candidates in the state's still-unresolved school superintendent race returned to court Wednesday for the first time since the Supreme Court invalidated thousands of provisional ballots - and the General Assembly re-validated them.

With Democrat June Atkinson and Republican Bill Fletcher sitting on the same bench in the gallery and voting-rights protesters outside the Wake County Courthouse, a Superior Court judge heard arguments about how to settle the disputed Nov. 2 election.

Atkinson leads Fletcher by 8,535 votes from more than 3.3 million cast, but the state Supreme Court last month threw out at least 11,000 provisional ballots cast in the wrong precincts on Election Day.

This week, Democratic lawmakers passed a bill that essentially overrides the ruling by the Republican-controlled court. The measure asserts that the provisional ballots were cast lawfully under a 2003 law and should be counted; Democratic Gov. Mike Easley signed the bill into law hours before Wednesday's hearing.

more here

[dzika]

35. CONFIRMED! KARL ROVE met with NY TIMES Editor before Bulge story was "kill

From the Bush Wired blog:
Thursday, March 03, 2005

CONFIRMED! KARL ROVE met with NY TIMES Editor before Bulge story was "killed" !!!

• THE OFFICIAL BUSH WIRED PHOTO GALLERY View The Evidence!
  
• Also visit: Oct/Nov BULGE NEWS -- BUSH WIRED ARCHIVE -- BULGE ART GALLERY -- TAKE ACTION
  
• GET THE WHOLE BULGE STORY... THE BULGE HISTORY
  
• Site contact: [e-mail]

The other day I decided to bring the Bush Bulge mystery back "on-topic" and focus on the many unanswered questions in this odd conundrum instead of criticism of the media for not reporting this important story... that is, until I read this juicy tidbit of information passed on by the Newsrack Blog :

According to New Yorker Magazine's, Nicholas Lemann, in a non-Bulge related column, KARL ROVE met with the New York Times' executive editor BILL KELLER for cocktails on October 22nd, 2004. This meeting was 3 days before the Times' "spiked" story on the bulge was originally set to run in the Times, and 5 days before the story was ultimately killed by Keller.

It has long been alleged that Rove placed a call or some sort of "pressure" on the Times' editors to "kill" the Bulge story before the Nov. 2nd elections. In fariness, Times Public Editor, Daniel Okrent, responding to allegations of Rovian interference regarding the Bulge story, stated, "I have never heard this, nor do I believe it."

Perhaps its time to start believing!

Details of this conversation are clearly outlined in the New Yorker article titled "FEAR AND FAVOR - Why is everyone mad at the mainstream media?" (see the full article HERE) . While the revelations are not Bulge-specific they certainly show how Rove and the Bush Team operates, applying pressure to the press, and how the press responds to such pressure.

more here

[Wilms]

36. Voting list tab from Accenture too steep, Pocan says

The Capital Times

Voting list tab from Accenture too steep, Pocan says

By Judith Davidoff
March 2, 2005

Wisconsin is paying three times what Minnesota spent to compile a federally mandated statewide voter list.

-snip-

Wisconsin's tab is unnecessarily steep, says state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, adding that Wisconsin won't even own the program software after its contract with Accenture expires in five years.

-snip-

Wisconsin's contract with Accenture has been controversial from the start. Critics say Accenture played a role in the creation of Florida's flawed felon voter registration database and claim that Wisconsin state employees could have compiled a statewide voter list at a much more economical price.

-snip-

"I think there is more there than meets the eye," he said.

-snip/more-

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=30531&ntpid=0

[Wilms]

37. Voting list tab from Accenture too steep, Pocan says

The Capital Times

Voting list tab from Accenture too steep, Pocan says

By Judith Davidoff
March 2, 2005

Wisconsin is paying three times what Minnesota spent to compile a federally mandated statewide voter list.

-snip-

Wisconsin's tab is unnecessarily steep, says state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, adding that Wisconsin won't even own the program software after its contract with Accenture expires in five years.

-snip-

Wisconsin's contract with Accenture has been controversial from the start. Critics say Accenture played a role in the creation of Florida's flawed felon voter registration database and claim that Wisconsin state employees could have compiled a statewide voter list at a much more economical price.

-snip-

"I think there is more there than meets the eye," he said.

-snip/more-

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=30531&ntpid=0

[Wilms]

38. LAT: November E-Vote a Success, Panel Says (Spin Alert!)

November E-Vote a Success, Panel Says

O.C. Grand Jury studied the new election method after problems with it surfaced during the March 2004 primary

By David Haldane

Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 03 March 2005

Voters have largely accepted Orange County's electronic voting system, which saw its first presidential election in November, the county grand jury concluded in a report issued Wednesday.

-snip-

Among their findings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being best, most voters said their satisfaction with electronic voting rated an 8 or 9.

The only major negative finding, in fact, had to do with the variety of paper ballots also available to voters, which "complicated the counting process" and caused a 22-day delay in arriving at final results, the report concluded. "These allowed opportunities for error and a potential to weaken voter confidence."

Among the jury's recommendations: County officials should publish a comparison of the costs of electronic balloting versus paper; explore the possibility of combining the various voting methods in future elections; and address mechanical difficulties encountered in processing paper ballots.

-snip/more-

http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=4922

DU Discussion Thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x338267

[dzika]

39. Media: Settling For Mediocrity

From DISTANCE blog:
Thursday, March 03, 2005

Media: Settling For Mediocrity

Jay Rosen’s Pressthink recounts the sordid, sick tale of Jeff Gannon and why its important. At the heart of his post is the death of accountability the press has, the White House has and ultimately we have for not demanding answers for the secrets that are being kept from us. The press’ role as watchdog has not only been subverted, but also replaced with the smirking antics of people like the slimy freepers, Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. The Bush White House simply endorses this slanted, propaganda machine as the only source of truth and many people fall into it.

They appeal to the worst in people’s hearts. The bigot, the fearful, the person who sees life as black and white, who yearns for a simpler time that never was…those are the targets. I think, it is likely that as many as 40% of the people around us are like this. It is only necessary to gather another 10% to win an election. That’s why “issues” such as Gay Marriage and Constitutional Amendments to “protect the flag” (from the Bush 1 playbook), play so well with the rubes.

Take a look at the massive stupidity and ugliness (no, I don’t mean physical) of the trolls on Sean Hannity’s “dating website” for Conservatives.

One after another, they brag about their black hearted-ness and hatred. Look at how many come from screwed up backgrounds and failures of various kinds.

The world is full of frustrated, menopausal people, Karl Rove and his crowd just rope them in.

source