Sunday 2/13 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=203x325132

[L. Coyote]

1. PA: Mini-voting machine under study

Feb. 12, 2005

Luzerne County continues to look at replacements for its old equipment.

By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES [e-mail]

The latest electronic voting machine trotted out before a selection committee Friday was so small that it fit in a briefcase.

And the briefcase itself converts into the actual voting booth, with fold-out privacy shields and screw-on legs. The entire package weighs 22 pounds.

Made by Texas-based Advanced Voting Solutions, it’s the first machine presented to the committee that would require voters to scroll electronic “pages” as they make their selections.

Each unit costs about $3,000, not including some of the extra software costs.

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/10883088.htm

=========

Election Fraud, Irregularity, and Reform Headlines

[GuvWurld]

2. No Confidence Resolution Endorsed By Green Party of Humboldt County, CA

http://guvwurld.blogspot.com/2005/02/no-confidence-resolution-endorsed-by.html

[MelissaB]

3. Legislative race offers early display of fireworks

Legislative race offers early display of fireworks

By Dana Beyerle
Montgomery Bureau

MONTGOMERY -- The first shot in 2006's legislative races was fired this month in a House contest in southwest Alabama that was won by a Republican for the first time.

The special election to fill the unexpired term of the late Rep. Jeff Dolbare showed the tactics of Republicans, who frankly admit they used next year's legislative strategy early because of the opportunity.

>>snip

Among the lessons from the House race won by Republican Nick Williams, of Sims Chapel, were:

* Using homosexual issues in politics might work as race did in Alabama's past.

* Ironically, Democrats got skewered by their No. 1 legislative issue this year, a ban on gay marriages, Republicans and Democrats agreed.

* Candidates now ignore political surveys and threats at their own peril.

Mix in the rush this year by Democrats and Republicans to rely more and more on party caucuses to show solidarity and enforce discipline, and there's evidence that Alabama's House and Senate are beginning to look like a partisan Congress where Republicans and Democrats don't even go to the same watering holes.

Link: http://timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050213/NEWS/502130351/1011

I wish I could cut and paste more without violating rules. The article also mentiones dirty politics. The republicans sent out a flier titled "God Made Adam and Eve'' that claimed that the Democratic candidate was in support of gay marriage because she didn't sign the sign the Alabama Christian Coalition's marriage-protection pledge. In addition, the author compares the flyer to George Wallace playing the race card against Albert Brewer in 1970.

Link to the flier: http://www.aladems.net/nucleus/media/1/20050202-RLCad.pdf

Discussion here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x325750

[MelissaB]

4. Remarks by Governor Howard Dean Accepting the Chairmanship of the Democrat

I. INTRODUCTION/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
If you told me one year ago that I'd be standing here today, as your choice for Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, I wouldn't have believed you. And neither would have a lot of other people.

But let me say that standing here with the opportunity to lead this Party, is a great honor.

I am thankful.

I am humbled.

And I'm ready to get to work.

This was the first race for DNC chairman truly driven by the grassroots of this Party. And so, I want you to know this is not my chairmanship, this is our chairmanship.

You have given me an enormous responsibility. But it is a responsibility we share.

We can change this Party… but only by working together and competing in all 50 states. We can change this Party… but only by working together and becoming a national party again. We can change this Party… but only by working together at thelocal level.

If we want to win nationally, we have to win locally.

Much more: http://democrats.org/news//200502120001.html

[Wilms]

5. TruthOut: Granny D Speaks!!

Granny D Speaks!!

TruthOut

By WilliamPitt,

Sat Feb 12th, 2005 at 07:51:13 PM PST :: Activism ::

If you caught my blog post from several days ago, you knew that 95-year-old and living hero Doris 'Granny D' Haddock was hospitalized for throat surgery. ASt her age, any surgery is dangerous. If she made it through, the doctors were almost positive her great voice would be permanently silenced.

And then this, from the wires:

-snip/more-

<http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2005/2/12/195113/273>

[dzika]

6. Bill would limit campaigning by sitting Secretary of State

Feb 8, 2005

Bill would limit campaigning by sitting Secretary of State

by John Sauter


State Sen. Dan Brady, a Cleveland Democrat, wants to keep the secretary of state from becoming officially involved in any campaigns for candidates or issues.

"The secretary of state, who is supposed to be responsible for conducting fair and impartial elections, should not also be running any political campaigns," said Brady, whose bill bars the secretary of state from any official decision-making capacity in a federal, state or local election or issue campaign.

"It would be like the quarterback of the New England Patriots also refereeing the Super Bowl," Brady said.

Senate Bill 45 would still allow the secretary of state to make speeches, solicit campaign contributions, and endorse candidates and campaigns.

Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell said through a spokesman that his office neither supports nor opposes the bill.

Carlo LoParo said the bill would not have affected Blackwell’s activities in 2004. Although he was visible for Republican candidates, supported Issue 1 banning gay marriages and was honorary co-chairman for President Bush’s Ohio campaign, he had no decision-making role in the campaigns, Lo-Paro said.

source: http://www.ohiodems.org/index.php?display=ViewBlogThread&id=209653

[dzika]

7. Utah got a win on verified voting!

February 11, 2005

Utah got a win on verified voting!

Great news! The House Government Operations Committee gave a favorable recommendation to HB 211, Integrity of Election Results, and they added language to support a voter-verified paper trail and the ability to do a hand recount. Give yourselves a big round of applause!

But the battle's not over yet. The next step is to contact your House representative and ask him or her to support HB 211 when it comes up for a floor vote. Click here to find your representative.

Click Continue to see some of the new and improved language in this bill.

Click here to view the full text of this bill:

This bill:
amends the Election Code to require that voting equipment be capable of producing an auditable, voter verified paper trail of votes cast in order to be certified for use;

amends the duties of the chief election officer to require that any voting equipment purchased be capable of producing an auditable, voter verified paper trail of votes cast; <...>

(2)(a) Each automated voting system shall: <...>

(xiii) produce a permanent paper record that is available for the voter's inspection prior to the voter leaving the voting booth that:

(A) shall be available as an official record for any recount or challenge conducted with respect to an election where the automated voting system is used;

(B) shall include human readable printing which shall be the ultimate record of the voter's intent;

(C) may also include machine readable printing, which may be the same as the human readable printing; and

(D) allows poll watchers and poll counters to observe the election process to ensure its integrity.

source: http://www.democracyforutah.com/archives/000993.html

[MelissaB]

8. Christopher Hitchens(Vanity Fair) thinks the OHIO VOTE WAS STOLEN

Daily Kos gives you the good, meaty parts of the Vanity Fair article insisting that the Ohio numbers do not add up:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/9/1712/26186

Thanks to jazzjunkysue here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x325728

From Daily Kos:
by BooMan23


Tue Feb 8th, 2005 at 22:07:12 PST

Christopher Hitchens has a new article in Vanity Fair entitled, OHIO'S ODD NUMBER'S. The lead-in states "No conspiracy theorist, and no fan of John Kerry's, the author nevertheless found the Ohio polling results impossible to swallow: Given what happened in that key state on Election Day 2004, both democracy and common sense cry out for a court-ordered inspection of its new voting machines."
Hitchens was never a supporter of George W. Bush per se. He was active before the 2000 election in highlighting the felons list in Florida. Generally speaking, Hitchens holds leftist political views that have evolved unpredictably over time. He has been a relentless critic of Henry Kissinger.

More at the link above and worth the time to read.

From The Kansas City Star:

Oh my, Ohio

Christopher Hitchens writes in Vanity Fair: “Whichever way you shake it, or hold it to the light, there is something about the Ohio election that refuses to add up. …

“What strikes my eye is this: In practically every case where lines were too long or machines too few, the foul-up” was in a Democratic precinct or county, and “in practically every case where machines produced impossible or improbable outcomes,” the challenger suffered.

Link: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/10887025.htm

Edited to add: If anyone finds a link to the Vanity Fair article, please post it here. It will be the March 2005 edition.

[MelissaB]

10. Bush Supporter Questions Ohio's Odd Numbers

Bush Supporter Questions Ohio's Odd Numbers

Feb 10, 2005
In the March '05 issue of Vanity Fair magazine, Bush supporter Christopher Hitchens, a self-proclaimed "non-wacko," presents evidence that those reports of voter suppression and rigged voting machines in Ohio were true. The evidence he presents is not new --- it's the Reader's Digest condensed version of my 13 December blog, and a drop in the bucket compared to the comprehensive "Eye on Ohio: The Informed Citizen's Guide to the 2004 Election." What's worth noting is that Hitchens is not a member of the whining "lunatic fringe," but an enthusiastic Bush supporter who states, "I did not think that John Kerry should have been president of any country at any time." Hitchens writes (page 218):


I would myself tend to discount most of the above , since an ogliarchy bent on stealing an election would probably not announce itself so brashly as to fit into a Michael Moore script...

However, there is one soothing explanation that I don't trust anymore. It was often said, in reply to charges of vote tampering, that it would have had to be a "conspiracy so immense" as to involve a dangerously large number of people. Indeed, some Ohio Democrats themselves laughed off some of the charges, saying that they too would have had to be part of the plan. The stakes are very high: one defector or turncoat with hard evidence could send the principals to jail forever and permanently discredit the party that had engaged in fraud.

I had the chance to spend quality time with someone who came to me well recommended, who did not believe that fraud had yet actually been demonstrated, whose background was in the manufacture of the machines, and who wanted to be anonymous. It certainly could be done, she said, and only a very, very few people, would have to be "in on it."


Now, keep in mind that Hitchens is a Bush-lovin' Kerry-detractor. Hitchens concludes that a massive Congressional investigation into the 2004 presidential election is warranted and that "The Federal Election Commission, which has been a risible body for far too long, ought to make Ohio its business ... And Americans should cease to be treated like serfs or extras when they present themselves to exercise their franchise."

So, the Ohio vote rigging story is slowing lapping at the edges of the mainstream press. Let's hope a few Woodwards and Bernsteins pursue the story and demand justice and reform.

Link: http://www.retrovsmetro.org/blog/

[MelissaB]

11. Link to The Christopher Hitchens Web

http://users.rcn.com/peterk.enteract/

"Ohio's Odd Numbers" (Vanity Fair, March 2005)link isn't up yet.

[MelissaB]

12. From the Cobb-LaMarch website and Brad Blog

Columnist Hitchens Says Ohio Vote Stolen
Columnist Christopher Hitchens, writing in Vanity Fair magazine, has written a widely-discussed article that alleges that the Ohio vote was stolen on November 2nd. His article has sparked an outpouring of new revelations on the DailyKos blog, where new revelations are being added. As the lead-in to the article states: "No conspiracy theorist, and no fan of John Kerry's, the author nevertheless found the Ohio polling results impossible to swallow: Given what happened in that key state on Election Day 2004, both democracy and common sense cry out for a court-ordered inspection of its new voting machines."

Link: http://www.votecobb.org/


From the Brad Blog:

Hitchens: 'Something Wrong About the Ohio Election'

The Bush-Supporting Journalist goes on Record in 'Vanity Fair'
And Congressional Republicans Begin to Question Blackwell!


The Nashua Advocate -- which has been doing some excellent reporting on Election Irregularity stories for some months -- breaks the news of Christopher Hitchens' story in the March 2005 Vanity Fair finally joining the chorus of folks questioning the Ohio results.

The subscription-only magazine lists the article in their contents as such:

OHIO'S ODD NUMBERS Are the stories of voter suppression and rigged machines in Ohio to be believed? Christopher Hitchens presents "non-wacko" evidence that something went seriously awry on Election Day.

>>snip

The Advocate piece offers more and includes some of the Republicans in Congress who are now beginning to question Ohio's Sec. of State and Bush/Cheney Re-Elect Co-Chair, J. Kenneth Blackwelll, on his motives and behavior. Please check it, and the rest of their fine reporting, out.

More here:
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001177.htm

[dzika]

9. Bush in the polls: Back to normal?

02.11.05

Bush in the polls: Back to normal?

I hope George Bush enjoyed that little bump in the polls (CNN/USA Today/Gallup) that the Iraqi elections supposedly gave him, because an Associated Press poll announced just today has things looking not quite so good:

The public's confidence in President Bush (news - web sites)'s job performance and the nation's direction has slipped in the opening weeks of his second term, particularly among people 50 and older, according to an Associated Press poll.
Adults were evenly divided on Bush's job performance in January, but now 54 percent disapprove and 45 percent approve. The number who think the country is headed down the wrong track increased from 51 percent to 58 percent in the past month. <...>

The poll, conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs, was taken after the president's State of the Union address and the elections in Iraq and at the start of a heated debate over creating personal Social Security (news - web sites) accounts.

Older Americans, especially those 65 and above, were most responsible for the declining confidence and approval numbers. Middle-aged people between 30 and 50 were about evenly split on Bush's job performance.

"It looks like people are reacting to the State of the Union and plans to change Social Security," said Charles Franklin, a political scientist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The AP poll did not ask about Social Security, although only four in 10 in the poll said they approved of Bush's handling of domestic policy in general. And a majority of people disapproved of his handling of the economy.

The elections in Iraq look to be a one-time blip on the public radar, soon to be replaced by the consequences of the election and continued violence there. Meanwhile, Bush's unpopular Social Security plan is an ongoing concern, brought to citizens' minds every day as he tries to sell them on privatization. The president's approval numbers may continue to fall as a result.


source: http://www.waveflux.net/archives/001392.php

[dzika]

13. Hillary Clinton Does Something Right

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Hillary Clinton Does Something Right

I've criticized Senator Clinton a lot on this blog, so it's only fair to point out when she's doing something that's not only good but vitally necessary.

I got an e-mail from her recently which some of you may also have received. From the e-mail:

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!

In 2004, I introduced legislation similar to the Count Every Vote Act. But it never saw the light of day. I couldn't even get a hearing for my bill before the Senate Rules Committee. We can't allow this new legislation to suffer the same
fate.

The Republicans who control Congress don't want to address this issue. So we've got to build grassroots momentum to make sure they don't have any choice but to act. That's why I am determined to keep moving forward -- on the Hill, with advocacy groups, and with all of you!

All of this is enormously important. I'm especially glad that Clinton and Boxer are demanding a verified paper ballot for every vote cast. When the blogosphere was debating whether or not the Democrats should have been more aggressive in contesting the electoral vote certification, my opinion was that it was okay if they didn't fight then so long as they sponsored--and fiercely fought for--vote reform legislation. That's what Clinton and Boxer are doing now. Go here to co-sponsor their bill and show that there's wide support among Americans for this kind of thing.

In keeping with the theme of good things that some Democrats are doing, John Kerry recently sent out an e-mail asking Democrats to contribute to the DNC to show support for Howard Dean as DNC Chair--click here if you can donate. And Bill Clinton e-mailed supporters to tell them about the valuable humanitarian work that the Clinton Foundation is doing, and to ask them for help, so check that out if you feel like it.

source: http://gutter.blogspot.com/2005/02/hillary-clinton-does-something-right.html

[dzika]

14. Red and blue and the color of money

Sunday, February 13, 2005

P-I Focus: Red and blue and the color of money

Only five blue states are net recipients of federal subsidies; only two red states are net payers of federal taxes

By ERIC SCIGLIANO


November's presidential election sparked a boom in amateur political geography. You remember the maps that flew like rumors of war over the Internet. First, there was the plaintive spectacle of the election outcome: the blue-tagged Democratic states clinging to the Pacific, Great Lakes and North Atlantic shores, beachheads of civilization wrapped around a vast red wilderness.
...
"There's a general perception out there that the blue states are big net recipients of federal subsidies," says Harvard business professor Herman "Dutch" Leonard. And there's a corollary perception that, in contrast to these welfare-queen states, the inland and Southern states are a heartland of self-reliance and private initiative, less dependent on federal spending. As Leonard says, "That historically hasn't been the case." And it's becoming less and less so.

In 2003, the top subsidy-sucking state, in percentage terms, was red-lite New Mexico, which received $1.99 in federal money for every dollar it sent to Washington, D.C. All the next eight net recipients of federal spending were redder yet: Kentucky, Virginia, Montana, Alabama, North Dakota, West Virginia, Mississippi and Alaska, which received $1.60 to $1.89 back for each tax dollar.

The list of net losers in the state-federal exchange, by contrast, reads like a Who's Who of Blue. Two of the top 14 were traditionally red Western states that are starting to turn purple, Colorado and Nevada. The other 12 are all blue: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, Wisconsin and the biggest chump of all, New Jersey, where the federal government spends just $.57 for every dollar it collects. Clearly Tony Soprano did not negotiate this deal.

Only five blue states were net recipients of federal subsidies. Only two red states were net payers of federal taxes. Washington, despite its large military presence and big defense contractor The Boeing Co., received just 90 cents on its federal tax dollar. Oregon and swinging Florida are perfect washes: They received one federal dollar for every dollar they paid in taxes.
...
The results, when you crunch the fragmented state data, are striking. In 2003, according to the Tax Foundation data, the blue states contributed $966 billion to the federal Treasury and got $830 billion back. The reds paid $697 billion and received a whopping $909 billion. Welfare queens, indeed.


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/211080_sciglianomoney.html

[MelissaB]

15. Voting machine sellers complain over rejection in Louisiana

Voting machine sellers complain over rejection in Louisiana

2/13/2005, 12:52 p.m. CT
The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Three of eight voting machine sellers have been approved to compete for Louisiana's $47 million contract. Those that didn't make the cut have been voicing their displeasure.

Secretary of State Fox McKeithen said he understands why some of the five companies are unhappy — because of the money involved. McKeithen said he's confident that any appeals from the companies won't be successful.

Louisiana must replace about 5,000 old lever-style voting machines that do not meet federal regulations by the federal elections in 2006. The federal government is providing the money.

McKeithen said the state had 106 criteria it was looking for in voting machines. The companies knew at least a month ago about those criteria, he said.

Companies excluded from consideration after state reviews are Diebold Elections Systems, Accupoll, Populex, Hart Intercivic and Liberty Elections System.

snip>>>

The companies that made the grade are Advanced Voting Solutions, Elections System and Software, and Sequoia Voting System.

More: http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-14/11083209557560.xml&storylist=louisiana

[dzika]

16. Blackwell's decisions are raising red flags

02/13/2005

Blackwell's decisions are raising red flags

Ohio voters, take care.

There is a man in Columbus who wants to be your next governor.
You'd better give very careful consideration to some of his recent actions before you think about him holding so high an office.
...
But a couple of recent decisions he has made should, at the very least, raise warning flags that his holding the state's highest office could be going a step too far.

He is now Ohio's secretary of state, and while he is very good at making people angry, that is not necessarily a prerequisite for being governor.
...
Blackwell bent some noses in Washington last week when he snubbed an invitation to testify before a congressional panel that is examining problems with the 2004 elections.
...
Also, Blackwell's bull-in-a-china-shop approach to enforcing the provisions of substitute House Bill 262 that would have made some counties, including Lake County, scrap multi-million dollar voting machines in favor of one of two systems he approved, showed a callous indifference to large groups of voters.



http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13948899&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21846&rfi=6

[MelissaB]

17. Voting machine vendors irked

Voting machine vendors irked

Three qualify to show wares; McKeithen dismisses protests



By MARSHA SHULER
[e-mail]
Capitol news bureau

The Secretary of State's Office is getting a lot of complaints from voting machine vendors who didn't make the cut to compete for a $47 million contract.
Secretary of State Fox McKeithen said he can understand why because of the money involved, but he's confident that any appeals won't be successful.

>>>snip

"Three or four of them have called in here and claimed that they did meet the certification requirements or have claimed they can meet the certification requirements," McKeithen said Friday. "I tell them, 'That's fine and wonderful, but you didn't.'"

Louisiana must replace about 5,000 old lever-style voting machines that do not meet federal regulations by the federal elections in 2006. The federal government is providing the money.

More: http://2theadvocate.com/stories/021305/new_voting001.shtml

[dzika]

18. Overworked computer made vote count error in Franklin County Ohio

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Overworked computer made vote count error

Associated Press


Columbus- The maker of Franklin County's election machines has pinpointed the error that made a laptop computer give thousands of extra votes to President Bush on election night: Just like any overworked and distracted human, the machine was trying to do too much at once.

The mistake, caught days after the election, had Bush receiving 4,258 votes in a precinct in the Columbus suburb of Gahanna, where only 638 voters cast ballots. The corrected official count shows 365 votes for Bush.

The incident has been used as an example of election irregularities in a lawsuit challenging Ohio's election outcome and by some Democrats in Congress.

The review completed last week showed no fraud or tampering, said Matthew Damschroder, director of the Franklin County elections board.


more: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1108290888189500.xml

[MelissaB]

19. Voters will use new equipment in fall

Voters will use new equipment in fall

Elections board chooses ES&S machines over competitor's this week

By Rebecca Helmes
Staff writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


EATON, Ohio -- Preble County should be using optical scan voting machines from Election Systems & Software by the November elections.

The Preble County Board of Elections unanimously chose the ES&S equipment over competitor Diebold's optical scan equipment this week.

The county, which currently uses the punch card system of voting, had to change its voting equipment because Help America Vote Act (HAVA) regulations required it.

Board of Elections Director Marilyn Jackson said the board just liked the ES&S equipment better.

Optical scan equipment consists of a paper ballot where voters mark boxes or ovals next to the names of the people they want to vote for. The ballots are fed through a machine that tabulates the results. If a recount needs to be done, a verifiable paper trail exists.

"It's going back to the paper ballot type," Jackson said.

More: http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050211/NEWS01/502110307/1008

[dzika]

20. Political pugilism - Ohio's SOS Blackwell and A.G. Petro

Article published Sunday, February 13, 2005

Political pugilism in Ohio

Here they are, ladies and gentlemen, head to head, Ohio's chief legal officer versus Ohio's chief election officer, in a battle that could very well preview the struggle for the Republican nomination for governor in 2006.

In this corner of the ring, it's Attorney General Jim Petro. In the other corner, it's Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. Remember, gentlemen, no sucker punches, just shake hands and come out fighting!

What sparked this round of political pugilism in Columbus was an opinion by the attorney general that the secretary of state is not legally empowered to require that county boards of elections select a particular type of voting equipment from a state-approved list.
...
Mr. Blackwell's response was to reiterate that the county boards must follow his directive, even if they already use some other voting method. "The attorney general's opinion," he sniffed, "is just that, an opinion."

Despite that admonition, the Lucas County Board of Elections has indicated it will defy the secretary of state and is again looking at the use of touch-screen devices to replace its old lever-style machines. We support this move.
...
Ohio needs an election process that is simple, predictable, and fair, one voters can trust. The sparring on the part of Mr. Petro and Mr. Blackwell is further evidence of the need for a professionally run system that would banish partisan bickering to the maximum extent possible.


more: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050213/OPINION02/502130357

[dzika]

21. Not a job for partisans

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Not a job for partisans

DEMOCRAT Kevin Shelley became a poster child for what can happen when a secretary of state wades into the muck of partisan politics -- but he is not the only one.

As Florida secretary of state, Republican Katherine Harris created a national furor in 2000 when she certified George W. Bush as winner of the state's 25 electoral votes while Democrat Al Gore was still pressing for recounts. Harris was a co-chair of the Bush campaign in Florida, where allegations of voting irregularities will haunt that election into history.

Once again, the 2004 presidential election was decided by a close vote in a state with a Republican secretary of state and co-chair of the Bush campaign. Fairly or not, Republican Kenneth Blackwell's oversight of the Ohio election has been analyzed through the prism of his openly stated loyalties. After the election, he even sent Republican contributors a thank-you letter for delivering the state to Bush.

Shelley's scandals, which led to his recently announced resignation, run much deeper than his alleged partisanship in distributing federal voting act funds to political cronies. Shelley is facing state and federal investigations over fund-raising schemes, his hiring and promotion practices and his treatment of staff members.


more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/02/13/EDGSMAPBLM1.DTL

[dzika]

22. Schwarzenegger redistricting plan hits politicians where it hurts

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Schwarzenegger redistricting plan hits politicians where it hurts

Taking on "special interests" sounds good to most politicians _ except when they're the special interest.

That's why Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to relieve lawmakers of the job of drawing their own political district lines is running into opposition from _ who else _ lawmakers.

The governor's plan would assign the task to a panel of retired judges. It's especially troubling to U.S. House members from his own Republican Party, some of whom fear that recasting congressional districts in Democrat-leaning California could cost the GOP seats.

Republicans outnumber Democrats in the House 232-201 (there's one independent and one vacancy, in the Democrat-leaning Sacramento district left open by the death of Rep. Robert Matsui and expected to be filled by his wife, Doris).

But the GOP majority hardly seems safe to Republicans who remember that Democrats ruled the House by a lopsided 256-178 margin before Republicans retook control in 1994.

"From a realistic standpoint, it looks like we can lose more than we gain," Marysville Republican Rep. Wally Herger said recently of Schwarzenegger's plan. "That's what everybody looks at."


more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/02/13/state/n083250S03.DTL

[dzika]

23. Time to right a wrong on access to polls in Minnesota

February 13, 2005

Time to right a wrong on access to polls

by Kate Parry


But 15 minutes is precisely what the press in Minnesota will have if a dramatic moment happens at our polls or voting irregularities threaten an election here. That sliver of time is among the severe restrictions placed on the press in the wee hours of the 2004 legislative session.

Last week, a Senate committee moved to repair the damage, approving a bill to restore at least some of the access the press historically has had to observe polling places.

Clearly that's something journalists should care about. I think you should care too.

If you think your government, paid for with your tax dollars, should be open to scrutiny, the fates of Senate File 0370 and its companion House File 0936 are worth watching.

How we ever got to this point in Minnesota, which once enjoyed a lofty reputation for open government, is perplexing.

This most recent incursion on government openness occurred just months before the first presidential election since the 2000 election cliffhanger that ended up turning on hanging chads in Florida after accusations of massive vote fraud. In 2004, you may recall, Minnesota was a battleground state so keenly in play that presidential candidates turned up here more often than mooching relatives angling for a cheap vacation spot.


more: http://www.startribune.com/stories/161/5236300.html

[dzika]

24. Long, unmarked road ahead for WA Gov. election challenge

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Long, unmarked road ahead for WA Gov. election challenge

By REBECCA COOK


OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The legal challenge to the governor's election won't be resolved until June at the earliest, a former Supreme Court justice says.

Republican Dino Rossi's challenge to the 129-vote election victory of Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire is heading toward a trial, possibly sometime next month. The state Supreme Court will make the ultimate decision - and former Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge says Rossi has a chance, however slim, of winning.

"It would be unusual to unseat a sitting governor," said Talmadge, a liberal Democrat who ran against Gregoire before dropping out due to health concerns. "On the other hand, they have the responsibility of dealing with this very serious situation of election law ... The court won't be swayed by the immediate politics of the moment."

Talmadge said he can't imagine the Supreme Court hearing arguments on the case until June, and that's assuming the speediest possible schedule.

Conventional wisdom says the longer Gregoire stays in office, the more legitimacy she gains and the less people will demand a new election. Of course, conventional wisdom also had Gregoire winning in a landslide.


more: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=WA%20Election%20Challenge%20Future

[dzika]

25. Turkey Expresses Concern Over Iraq Vote

Sunday February 13, 2005 8:46 PM

Turkey Expresses Concern Over Iraq Vote

By SUZAN FRASER


ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey urged Iraqi electoral officials and the United Nations to examine what it claimed were skewed Iraqi elections results released Sunday, saying it was particularly concerned about vote tallies in the oil-rich and ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk.

Turkey has long complained that Kurdish groups were illegally moving Kurds into Kirkuk, a strategic northern city, in an effort to tip the city's population balance in their favor.

Turkish officials did not make direct reference to the Kurds on Sunday, but the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that voter turnout in some regions was low and charged that there were ``imbalanced results'' in several regions, including Kirkuk.

``It has emerged that certain elements have tried to influence the voting and have made unfair gains from this,'' the statement said, in an apparent reference to the Kurds. ``As a result the Iraqi Interim Parliament won't reflect the true proportions of Iraqi society.''
...
The Turkish statement called on the election board to seriously consider objections to the vote and urged the United Nations to take a ``more active role'' and ensure that ``the flaws, the disorder and irregularities'' of the poll were not repeated when Iraqis vote on a new constitution later this year.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4797706,00.html

[dzika]

26. ACTION - Tell Congress what to do about Social Security

ACTION - Tell Congress what to do about Social Security

This weekend both sides of the Social Security controversy hit the airwaves. Some are trying to persuade us that there is crisis which requires privatizing the system now and a Wall Street takeover. Others point out that analysts agree the system will remain solvent for 30 years and beyond just by maintaining the current system. What do you think Congress should do?

Here is an easy one-click form you can use make your voice heard. It automatically looks up your senators and house representative and sends them your personal message all at the same time:

http://www.usalone.com/socialsecurity.htm

Do you want our representatives in Washington to stand up for you more often? We must back them up with our vocal support if we expect them to fight for us on this or any issue. The People's Email Network encourages you to speak out and keep speaking out, regardless of your political position, until our representatives truly hear you.

And now you can have your own custom Issue Action Center featuring any issue of interest to you for you for no charge. It's an amazingly small block of HTML code you can drop into any web page anywhere for an instant dynamic action menu effect. And we will set up a corresponding issue action page on The People's Email Network for you too. Pursue your own policy initiative! See the code in action at

http://www.usalone.com/action_center.html

Please forward this message and post these links everywhere you can to everyone you know.

[Bill Bored]

27. Paper Ballots for NY - Albany Lobby Day Tuesday, 2/15

Please come join us on Tuesday, 2/15 in Albany NY where New Yorkers for
Verified Voting and a non-partisan coalition of citizens groups will have a
Paper Ballots for NY Lobbying Day.

We've arranged a demonstration of a complete paper ballot/optical
scan/ballot marker system in the North Concourse, just in front of the
entrance to the Legislative Office Bldg. Many legislators and citizens will
be there trying out this reliable, accessible, and cost effective voting
system.

Come to Albany and join us in this unique opportunity to talk directly to
our legislators and encourage them to support paper ballots for New York.

When you arrive in Albany, come down and see us at the demonstration area in
the North Concourse. We'll be there from 9AM until 5 PM. We can provide you
with background materials to take along, and help finding your way to your
legislators.

At 1:30PM, we'll be holding a press conference at the demo area. We invite
you to join us.

-Bo Lipari

******************************
PRESS RELEASE
******************************
Citizens Groups Lobby Legislature on Voting Machines

Coalition Supports Paper Ballot and Optical Scan Voting System for New York
State

Press Conference and Machine Demo to be held
Tuesday, February 15 at 1:30 PM in the Empire State Concourse
******************************

A press conference and voting machine demonstration will be held in the
Empire State Concourse at the entrance to the NYS Capitol in Albany on
Tuesday February 15th at 1:30 PM. A broad non-partisan coalition of citizens
groups will urge the Legislature to adopt a common sense solution to replace
New York's lever voting machines. A Paper Ballot and Optical Scan voting
system provides voters with essential advantages over electronic "touch
screen" technology. The complete system includes ballot marking technology
which allows a paper ballot based system to provide accessible, private and
independent voting for voters with disabilities.

Optical scan systems have been used in elections around the United States
for over 20 years. Currently used in 25% of all the precincts in the US,
the states of Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio have all decided to use
optical scanners to comply with the Help America Vote Act which mandates new
machines for New York.

* "A new era of computerized voting presents many dangers and challenges to
citizens in a democracy" said Bo Lipari Director of New Yorkers for Verified
Voting. "But, the same vendors who supply the flawed touch-screen
technology also make reliable, verifiable and fully accessible systems based
on a hand marked permanent paper ballot coupled with an optical scanner at a
significantly lower cost" said Lipari.

* "Marking a paper ballot is familiar to anyone who has taken a standardized
test or filled out a form at the DMV" said Andrew C. White of Democracy for
the Hudson-Mohawk Region. "It's a reliable and auditable system that will be
easy to learn and use for poll workers and voters."

* Ethel Silverburg of The Alliance for Democracy said, "This more verifiable
process will help ensure voter confidence. This confidence is essential to
any functioning Democracy."

For detailed information on Paper Ballot Optical Scan voting please visit
www.nyvv.org/

[dzika]

28. Opinion: Plugging the 527 Loophole by John McCain

Updated: 1:02 p.m. ET Sept. 12, 2004I

Opinion: Plugging the 527 Loophole
If the FEC were doing its job, 527s would face the same rules as everybody else—beginning with limited donations

By Sen. John McCain
Newsweek


I hear it all the time these days, from political pros on the left and the right. The McCain-Feingold campaign-reform law, they tell me, turned out to have a big downside: the rise of so-called 527 groups, with their billionaire backers and nasty, negative television ads that threaten to bring politics to a new low. There is only one problem with this argument. It is completely false.

Yes, it's true that after we banned soft money—the corrupting, virtually unregulated slush funds that both political parties came to depend on—some large donors began writing checks to 527s. There's nothing wrong with 527s in themselves. The groups can play an important role in elections. They can be used to fund get-out-the-vote efforts and educate voters about issues. And many 527s do just that. But more recently, unscrupulous operatives on both sides have begun to use them to run political smear campaigns against George Bush and John Kerry.

This is illegal, plain and simple, because 527s must comply with the same funding requirements that apply to candidates. The law says that any organization that engages in partisan political activities for the purpose of influencing a federal election falls under the campaign-finance laws. (Those laws limit the size of individual donations.) And though the groups claim they don't explicitly throw their support behind Bush or Kerry, just watch a Swift Boat Veterans ad or a MoveOn.org spot and see if you can figure out which candidate they want elected. Their activities are so blatantly partisan there is no doubt that they should be subject to the same rules as any other organization trying to influence the election.

Why are these groups allowed to break the law? Because of the Federal Election Commission's despicable failure to do its job. Led by a Democratic apparatchik on one side and a right-wing ideologue on the other, the commission is politically hidebound, and has refused to take on those who brazenly thumb their noses at the law. It's hard to argue that McCain-Feingold is responsible for that.


more: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5974039/site/newsweek/

[Wilms]

29. It's tough to teach students to dig deeper online

Feb. 13, 2005, 4:55PM

It's tough to teach students to dig deeper online
By GEOFFREY NUNBERG
New York Times

Information literacy seems to be a phrase whose time has come. Last month, the Educational Testing Service announced that it had developed a test to measure students' ability to evaluate online material. That suggested an official recognition that the millions spent to wire schools and universities is of little use unless students know how to retrieve useful information from the oceans of sludge on the Web.

-snip-

Then, too, search engines make it all too easy to filter information in ways that reinforce pre-existing biases. A Google search on "voting machine fraud," for example, will turn up popular Web pages that feature those words prominently, most of which will support the view that voting machines make election fraud easier; opposing sites won't tend to feature that language, so will be missed in the search. A researcher exploring the same topic in a library would be more likely to encounter diverse points of view.

-snip/more-

<http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3037972>

Perhaps he could recommend a more appropriate search term. :eyes:

[Liberty Belle]

30. Today's Action Alerts--DU These, please!

TAKE ACTION!


This Week’s Action Alerts: Please DU These and kick so everyone can help! Then forward them to your friends.

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

Previous Alerts—Still Active

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

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 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