The suspicious, disturbing death of election rigger Michael Connell

[babsbunny]

by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
December 20, 2008

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2008/3320

Michael Connell, the crucial techno- lynch pin in the theft of the 2004 election, and much more, is dead at the age of 45. His unnatural, suspicious death raises serious questions about the corruption of the American electoral process that now may never be answered.

Connell died Friday, December 19 when his Piper Saratoga plane crashed near his northern Ohio home. He was flying himself home from the College Park, Maryland airport. An accomplished pilot, flying in unremarkable weather, his death cuts off a critical path to much of what may never be known about how the 2004 election was shifted from John Kerry to George W. Bush in the wee hours of November 2. His plane crashed between two houses in an upscale neighborhood, one vacant, just 2.5 miles from the Akron-Canton airport.

A long-time, outspokenly loyal associate of the Bush family, Connell created the Bush-Cheney website for their 2000 presidential campaign. Connell may have played a role in various computer malfunctions that helped the GOP claim the presidency in 2000. As a chief IT consultant and operative for Karl Rove, Connell was a devout Catholic and the father of four children. In various interviews and depositions Connell cited his belief that abortion is murder as a primary motivating factor in his work for the Republican Party.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. I'd like to invite DUers to my thread about the accident itself (hoping for reserach help)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4695148

Thanks, and K&R.:thumbsup:

[Wilms]

2. The "election rigger" claim is not supported in the article. Why would Fitrakis/Wasserman do that??

I'm a bit old-fashioned. I like for the headline of a story to be consistent with the article.

The closest Fitrakis/Wasserman come to supporting the headline they wrote is:

Connell may have played a role in various computer malfunctions that helped the GOP claim the presidency in 2000.

In short, they are lying to us.

[creeksneakers2]

3. I've been reading about this

There is zero evidence Connell had anything to do with rigging the 2004 Ohio election. Elections have to be rigged at the precinct level, if at all. Connell's company was not involved in precinct level operations. The accusations against Connell involve participation in tallying all the votes at the secretary of state level. after they were reported from counties. There is no way to change the county counts, as many people would surely notice.

Connell was called to testify anyway, and said he didn't know anything about any election fraud.

This whole conspiracy theory is full of holes.

[Wilms]

4. I don't go that far. I don't "know" the election was stolen. I just believe it was.

I assume there are a few different ways it could have been done. Maybe the guy was involved. Or maybe the network infrastructure he put in place was used. There may, indeed, be something to this guy. So I am open to that.

But I can't find a damn thing in the article that meets the headlines claim. That is disturbing, and a serious disservice to all of us.

[cliffordu]

5. Where is his backup data???

If he thought he was in danger I'll bet he has copies of EVERYTHING squirrelled away.....


Geeks know leverage rules!!!