Saturday 2/26 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=203x334084

[Iceburg]

1. Wanted:precinct level election data for comparison studies

I am looking for datasets from the periods 1996 to 2004 that meet the following criteria:

Source: from official published canvas data, any state, any county (except Cuyahoga, Ohio ... I have that one and it is my reference point of comparison)

Granularity:precinct level

Voting method: paper, punched card, or other (must be known)

Ballot order arrangement: prefer datasets where the ballot order is known (may be fixed or rotating, if rotating I will require the specific ballot orders for each precinct)

Contests: must include presidential contest and at least one other party-based contest such as US senator

Importability: easily imported in db format

Variables Required:
Must have as a minimum:
- candidate data
- spoiled (under votes, overvotes)
- number of registered voters
- voting method
- ballot order (see requirement above)

Nice to Have:
Number of voting machines deployed at each precinct
----------------------------------------------------------
Any assistance in finding such datasets would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

(Thanks MelissaB for publishing this thread each day ...it saves me a signficant amount of time)

[minvis]

17. Butler and Clermont Counties (OH)

I have in Excel format both Butler and Clermont counties. If you'd like the information sent to you, PM me.

[MelissaB]

2. DNC chair Dean to visit Jackson for fund-raiser

DNC chair Dean to visit Jackson for fund-raiser

By Julie Goodman
[e-mail]

Howard Dean, the new head of the Democratic National Committee, will be in Mississippi on Tuesday to help raise money for his party and roll out strategy to energize Southern Democrats.

"We need to have national Democrats go into Mississippi and talk about our message and not let any of the Republicans say what our message is," Dean said Friday during a telephone interview with reporters.

>>>snip

He doesn't need to change his issues for the state, however, just reframe them, Bruce said.

"There's all sorts of fodder out there, and it simply involves rethinking the way you use language. You don't have to redefine your issues."

It appears that Dean is already doing just that.

On gay marriage, Dean said his view is "the same as Dick Cheney's." The vice president has said that he would prefer states continue to regulate marriage.

Dean also derided Republicans for calling Democrats "pro-abortion," saying the issue has nothing to do with abortion, but whether women should have the ability to make their own choices on health care.

Gov. Haley Barbour, a conservative Republican, immediately pinned the liberal tag on Dean, and said he welcomed him to the state to explain to Mississippians what he stands for.

"It's good for Mississippians to see the two-party system at work, and I can't think of a better person to show it to them than Howard Dean," the governor said during a recent Clarion-Ledger editorial board meeting. "He's very typical of the Democratic Party. Very, very far left, and I'd be interested to see how he tries to disguise that."

Dean responded that "if I'm too liberal, maybe Vice President Cheney is too for Mr. Barbour."

More: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050226/NEWS01/502260353/1002/NEWS01

[MelissaB]

4. Discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3182019#3182040

[MelissaB]

3. Dean roars into town

Dean roars into town
Democrats welcome new DNC leader

By Joel Mathis, Journal-World

Saturday, February 26, 2005

There were plenty of screams Friday afternoon at Liberty Hall, but none of them came from Howard Dean.

Instead, the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee was cheered enthusiastically by a sign-waving crowd gathered to hear Dean's message that the party must build its strength in traditionally Republican states such as Kansas.

"We need to go everywhere," he told the rally. "There is not one county in this state, I don't care how far west you go, that doesn't have Democrats. We have to be proud of who we are."

It was a message gladly received among the Democratic faithful.

>>>snip

His speech was similar in both Liberty Hall and the Hiebert back yard. Democrats, he said, must reframe the values debate, claiming the high ground on Social Security, health care and protecting American security.

"Those are Kansas values," he said

More: http://www.ljworld.com/section/citynews/story/197427

[dzika]

5. How long can Bush get away with lies?

February 25, 2005

How long can Bush get away with lies?

BY REVEREND ANDREW GREELEY


Would it not be much better to have a president who deliberately lied to the people because he thought a war was essential than to have one who was so dumb as to be taken in by intelligence agencies, especially those who told him what he wanted to hear?

It is also asserted that the election settled the matters of the war and the torture of prisoners. These are dead issues that no longer need be addressed. Yet the president received only 51 percent of the vote and carried only one more state than the last time (picking up New Mexico and Iowa and losing New Hampshire). This is a validation of the war and of prisoner abuse? This is a mandate to do whatever he wants to do and whatever the leadership of the evangelical denominations want? A percentage point and a single state are a mandate for more war? Never before in American political history!
...
How do these kinds of arguments play in the precincts? The survey data suggest that war has become more unpopular. The majority of the American people now think it was a mistake, in a shift away from the 51 percent that endorsed it on Election Day. Admittedly this is only a small change in the population, from a majority to a minority. Nor do the changers earn grace for their new opinions. They still endorsed the war on Election Day and are still responsible for it.

How long can the administration get along with its policies of spinning big lies into truth -- as it has more recently done on Social Security?
...
You can still get away with the "big lie" as long as Karl Rove and his team of spinners keep providing persuasive rationalizations. The American public is still supine, uneasy about the war, but not willing yet to turn decisively against it. Will that still be the case next year when we "celebrate" the third anniversary of the war? Is the patience of the American people that long suffering? Is there no outrage left in the country?



source: http://www.suntimes.com/output/greeley/cst-edt-greel25.html

[dzika]

6. Powell finally speaks out; criticises Iraq troop levels and rift with Euro

Not much of an interview but it's a start. Maybe he will write a book.

---

Saturday 26 February 2005

Powell finally speaks out; criticises Iraq troop levels and rift with Europe

By Robin Gedye



Mr Powell: regrets fall-
out with Europe over Iraq

Colin Powell, the former US secretary of state, has for the first time publicly criticised troops levels in Iraq and spoken of the rifts between himself and Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, that undermined his role as architect of American foreign policy.

Mr Powell, in his first interview since resigning last November, also told The Telegraph of his "dismay" at the deterioration in relations between America and Europe and of his "disappointment" with France.
...
Mr Powell said he had warned President George W Bush over dinner in August 2002 that the problem with Iraq was not going to be the invasion but what followed.

He told him: "This place will crack like a goblet and it will be a problem to pick up the bits. It was on this basis that he decided to let me see if we could find a United Nations solution to this."


source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/02/26/wpowell26.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/02/26/ixportaltop.html

[dzika]

7. The Hypocrisy Taboo

February 26, 2005

The Hypocrisy Taboo

By Robert Parry


If one accepts George W. Bush’s lecture to the Russians that democracy requires a free press unafraid to criticize national leaders, then what kind of political system exists in the United States where the news media seems so scared of Bush that it shies away from mentioning the president’s autocratic tendencies?

For the American press, there appears to be no bigger taboo than against questioning Bush’s sincerity when he presents himself as the grand promoter of democracy around the world.
...

Election 2004

In Election 2004, Bush’s supporters took a number of actions designed to suppress the votes of African-Americans and other groups likely to favor Democratic challenger John Kerry. For instance, Democratic precincts in the pivotal state of Ohio were shorted on voting machines, creating long lines and preventing many voters from casting ballots.

Even now, Ohio Republican officials continue to battle appeals by citizen groups to investigate Nov. 2’s election irregularities. A thorough investigation also could look at why so many ballots in Democratic precincts either didn’t record votes for president or awarded them to obscure third-party candidates. (For a surprisingly skeptical view of Bush’s Ohio victory, see Christopher Hitchens’s article, “Ohio’s Odd Numbers,” Vanity Fair, March 2005.)

Before the election, Bush could have ordered Republicans in Ohio and elsewhere to desist from any voter suppression, but he didn’t. Now, he could demand full cooperation with citizens trying to investigate what happened on Nov. 2.


more: http://www.consortiumnews.com/2005/022605.html

[dzika]

8. The right wing attack machine

Saturday, February 26, 2005

The right wing attack machine

By Paul Krugman
The New York Times

The slime campaign has begun against AARP, an association of middle-aged and older Americans that opposes Social Security privatization. There's no hard evidence that the people involved - some of them also responsible for the "Swift Boat" election smear against John Kerry - are taking orders from the White House. So you're free to believe that this is an independent venture. You're also free to believe in the tooth fairy.

Their first foray - an ad accusing the organization of being against the troops and for gay marriage - was notably inept. But they'll be back, and it's important to understand what they're up to.
...
People like myself - members of what one scornful Bush aide called the "reality-based community" - tend to attribute the right's electoral victories to its success at spreading policy disinformation. And the campaign against Social Security certainly involves a lot of disinformation, both about how the current system works and about the consequences of privatization.

The message of Frank's book is that the right has been able to win elections, despite the fact that its economic policies hurt workers, by portraying itself as the defender of mainstream values against a malevolent cultural elite. The right "mobilizes voters with explosive social issues, summoning public outrage which it then marries to pro-business economic policies. Cultural anger is marshaled to achieve economic ends."

In Frank's view, this is a confidence trick: Politicians like Santorum trumpet their defense of traditional values, but their true loyalty is to elitist economic policies. "Vote to stop abortion; receive a rollback in capital gains taxes. Vote to stand tall against terrorists; receive Social Security privatization." But it keeps working.



more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/25/opinion/edkrug.html

[dzika]

9. State says Berks responsible for investigating voter fraud cases

02/25/2005

State says Berks responsible for investigating voter fraud cases

by Sharon Spohn


READING PA -- The state Attorney General’s office won’t investigate the 26 voter registrations and absentee ballots Berks County determined could be intentionally fraudulent. Instead, they will be referred to the county District Attorney’s Office.
...
During the public comment portion of Thursday’s election board meeting, John Morgan, a member of a grassroots group Berks for Change, told the board that they will be filing complaints with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division because Commissioner Mark Scott and Director of Elections V. Kurt Bellman were "screaming about massive fraud."

Berks for Change is a member of Democracy for America, a group that says it is dedicated to rebuilding the Democratic Party, supporting fiscally responsible and socially progressive candidates in government and fighting far right-wing politics. According to its Web site, the group was inspired by the candidacy of Howard Dean, who campaigned for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.

Election officials in October estimated that there were as many as 7,000 fraudulent registrations after thousands were brought into the elections office by different organizations which ran intensive voter registration drives.

"We feel these were attempts at voter intimidation," Morgan said, referring to the registration drives. He added that there was much concern, especially among the Hispanic community, who were intimidated to vote.


more: http://www.pottstownmercury.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14033118&BRD=1674&PAG=461&dept_id=18041&rfi=6

[dzika]

10. Election Fraud Exposed in Criminal Complaint Filed in Ohio

Friday 25th February 2005

Election Fraud Exposed in Criminal Complaint Filed in Ohio

by Ray Beckerman


Election Fraud by Licking County Officials Exposed in Criminal Complaint Filed by Paul D. Harmon

We have learned that Paul D. Harmon, an independent candidate for Domestic Relations Court Judge in Licking County, Ohio, filed a criminal complaint against Licking County election officials on February 18th.

The complaint, based on events in a Licking County race in which there were more "no votes" than votes cast for any candidate, accuses the officials of fraud involving "votomatic" punch card votes, of perjury, of destroying evidence, tampering with records, thwarting the administration of the recount laws, destruction of the secrecy of, and tampering with, absentee ballots, and other similar misconduct.

Mr. Harmon, a Newark, Ohio, attorney, and native of Granville, Ohio, lost by 200 votes. Of the 78,000 votes cast, the Republican candidate received 14,300, and Mr. Harmon 14,100. 18,000 votes were never counted.

During and after the ensuing mandatory recount, Licking County officials illegally refused to permit recount witnesses to view the uncounted ballots, or to inspect the machines, and on more than one occasion misrepresented the number of voting machines that had been used.

They have also admitted that blank ballots were stored in unsecured facilites.

It has also been learned that, although in one or more Democratic precincts voters were subjected to waits of 4 hours or more in order to vote, 50 unused voting machines had been kept ’in reserve’ by the Republican director and deputy director of the Licking County Board of elections.

It is anticipated that an independent prosecutor will be appointed to investigate the complaint.

As we obtain more details of the Licking County incidents, documents, and court proceedings, this post will be updated.

http://fairnessbybeckerman.blogspot.com/2005/02/election-fraud-by-licking-county.html


source: http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=5380

[Wilms]

15. Election Fraud Exposed in Criminal Complaint Filed in Ohio

DU Thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x333820

[dzika]

11. Election Efforts On State's Agenda in Florida

Published: Feb 26, 2005

Election Efforts On State's Agenda in Florida

By BRENT KALLESTAD


TALLAHASSEE - Alex Jefferson wanted to vote early last fall, but he was turned away by the hours-long wait outside the Leon County Courthouse.

``I couldn't believe how many people were up there,'' said the 26-year-old car salesman. ``These people are standing in line, talking and having a good time, I just didn't have the hours to stand out there, so I left.''
...
When the legislative session begins March 8, some lawmakers want to standardize the early voting period leading into Election Day and create additional precincts to cut down on lines and waits.

Under the shadow of a high- profile governor's race in 2006, the Republican-led Legislature also must decide whether to permanently repeal the state's runoff election, which has been set aside the past two election cycles.
...
Supervisors of elections across the state want the runoff repealed, saying it's expensive, outdated and would force them to make difficult changes to the election calendar.


more here: http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBW33Q7N5E.html

[dzika]

12. Paper ballot verification bill has a few flaws

02/25/2005

Paper ballot verification bill has a few flaws

THERE'S much to like in the "Count Every Vote Act of 2005" introduced by California Sen. Barbara Boxer and her New York buddy, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The legislation, co-sponsored in the House by Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, would provide a voter-verified paper ballot for every vote cast in electronic voting machines and would ensure access to voter verification for all citizens, including language minority voters, illiterate voters and voters with disabilities.

The bill would set a uniform standard for provisional ballots, and it would require the Federal Election Assistance Commission to issue standards that ensure uniform access to voting machines and trained election personnel in every community. It also aims to improve security measures for electronic voting machines.

"Every citizen of this country should be guaranteed that their vote matters, that their vote is counted, and that in the voting booth, their vote has a much weight as that of any CEO, any member of Congress, or any president," Boxer said.


more: http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/oped/ci_2584444

[dzika]

13. The Electric Chair for Katherine Harris and Ken Blackwell

Feb 26th, 2005

The Electric Chair for Katherine Harris and Ken Blackwell

By Stephen Crockett


I think that Katherine Harris and Ken Blackwell deserve the death penalty for their actions as state election officials in the 2000 and 2004 elections. Current federal law does not permit the death penalty for their actions and Constitutional restrictions make it impossible to give them the electric chair by changing the law. However, I still believe that their actions in a morally sound legal system would see them on trial for their lives!

Katherine Harris as the Republican Secretary of State in Florida during the 2000 elections seemed to be using her office to promote the election of George W. Bush over the wishes of Florida voters. She was co-chair of the Bush campaign in Florida while serving as the top election official in the state. The conflict of interest was obvious. The potential for abuse was obvious. According to the investigative reporter and author Greg Palast, the actions of Harris and her office denied almost a 100,000 voters their right to vote or their right to have their vote counted. Almost all were Democrats! Details are available in Palast's book, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.

Instead of being prosecuted for denying Florida citizens their vote, Republicans politicians created a safe seat in Congress for Katherine Harris. It looks likely that she will be seeking higher office in Florida. Since many of the voters who were illegally kicked off the voting rolls still have not been returned to active status, Harris has a chance of winning. Winning office by denying voters their voting rights should be a death penalty crime. In my opinion, any government official who uses their power to engage in a massive campaign to deny citizens their voting rights is committing a crime worse than treason in wartime.

Ken Blackwell as Secretary of State in Ohio during the 2004 election seemed to be trying to copy the Katherine Harris model. Voting machines were distributed to make voting difficult for Democrats. Crazy regulations that made registering difficult came out of his office. He played a key role in the Bush campaign while serving as the top election official statewide. An effective statewide hand recount was largely blocked because of Blackwell. Key state records are being denied access to the citizens of Ohio by his actions. Lawyers who challenge the vote recount procedures are being persecuted by the Republican Ohio Attorney General in legal actions on behalf of Blackwell. Many of the Ohio vote problems and Blackwell's role in them are documented at "Stolen Election 2004."


more: http://magic-city-news.com/article_3206.shtml

[dzika]

14. Video - Hardball on Russian Democracy, Gannon, "liberal media" - 2/25

Video - Hardball on Russian Democracy, Gannon & "liberal media" - 2/25



Video in Real Media format (6 minutes):
http://www.edwardsdavid.com/BushVideos/hardball_russia_gannon_050225-01.rm

[dzika]

16. An Open Letter to Howard Dean

From The All Spin Zone blog:

Friday, February 25, 2005

An Open Letter to Howard Dean

Dear Howard Dean:

Can I call you Howard? Thanks.

Man, you are in the news lately. Evidently Liberal groups are keeping an eye on you to make sure you're going to keep your backbone, or so say many newspapers this morning, including Newsday. Perhaps they are secretly afraid you'll becoming absorbed by that polite debating society that is the Democratic Party. Perhaps they are worried you will lose some of the bite that infused your voice during that dynamic campaign you waged last year. Heck, they're worried that you'll forget to break out into the scream, maybe, even that the "scream" was a fake? Holy Conspiracy Theory, Batman! Perhaps those worries are legitimate, but you've got a bigger one.

Remember all that money you raised through harnessing the internet? Well, we're still here, the Bloggers who helped energize your campaign and the Presidential race, and we're just not that easy to understand, and shy of taking the harness to be simply "used" in a campaign. Still, we're contributing daily, often driving the debate. DailyKos and dozens of the writers of Left Blogistan, for instance, have spearheaded the drive against Mr. Bush's Social Security boondoggle, which should be hereafter known as the Wall Street Welfare Act (Kos used a similar term more than two months ago in describing this issue). The Bloggers of Left Blogistan are also responsible for exposing the Republican embarrassment that is Jeff Gannon/Jim Guckert and the fake news that is so rampant in far more right wing sources than Talon News, which has evidently shut down.

To borrow phraseology from the radical gay movement, we are here, we are BLOGS, and we aren't going anywhere. But here's the news: you aren't liable to be going anywhere either without starting and vigorously maintaining the discussion with us. Yeah, you need us, both the big Blogs like DailyKos and DemocraticUnderground and Atrios Eschaton and MyDD, and also the less major players, like our own Allspinzone and Blondesense and Jesus' General and Suburban Guerilla, and even specialized or more "literary" Blogs, such as Rittenhouse Review or PublicOrgTheory. And you don't just need these folks because of the hard news they develop. You need us because of our potential to develop and popularize themes, to create groundswell, to raise money, and to raise the energy level of the progressives in this country. But first you have to understand us. And in discussions here and at www.publicorgtheory.com over the last couple days it has become vitally clear that understanding the morals and motivations and organizational workings of Left Blogistan enough to creatively and productively employ our work to full advantage.

Howard, you need to start the dialogue and participate in it, not necessarily online as a commenter, and certainly not by starting your own blog, or hiring a few good bloggers, but through grass roots connections. You and several of your staffers need to come out and talk to us face-to-face. As such, I recommend you make the Drinking Liberally Tour. And noticing that a huge group of the Blogs I mentioned above are from Philadelphia, I suggest you send some folks to Philly to take the pulse of the Blog world. Of course, you're a Doctor, so you're practiced in taking pulses.

Remember this, though, because you and the Democratic Party run a huge risk of figuring out the dynamism of Left Blogistan through so-called experts who describe us falsely. We are not a pack of wolves, we are not one voice, and we are not a nameless horde. We do not work in our pajamas, often, and we are not disconnected nodes just yammering. We are definitely not sheep, as the Wing Dingers of the Right so often seem to be. We've flexed our power and we've shown you what we can do. It is incumbent upon you to figure us out, because you're going to want us by your side in the next couple years.

Oh, and as a special favor, can you guys give extra attention to helping get rid of Senator Santorum in the '06 election?

Regards,


SpinDentist
allspinzone.blogspot.com

[Al-CIAda]

18. BradBlog.com, who has exposed the story of Clint Curtis, "vote-flipping"

BradBlog.com, who has exposed the story of Clint Curtis, "vote-flipping"

http://democrats.com/blogcall

WASHINGTON -- February 25 -- A group of progressive investigative bloggers has launched BlogCall, a brand new press conference call where members of the mainstream media can pose questions to newsmaking bloggers.
The first BlogCall was held on Thursday, February 24, and it featured John Aravosis of Americablog.com discussing his newsmaking work on "Gannongate."
Aravosis is a leading progressive blogger who exposed White House reporter "Jeff Gannon" as a gay prostitute whose real name is James Guckert. Aravosis discussed the latest developments in the story during the 45-minute conference call.
The press conference was webcast by RadioLeft.com, and is permanently archived at WhiteRoseSociety.org.
"Progressive bloggers are doing outstanding investigative work at a time when the mainstream media is passively watching the innumerable scandals of the Bush administration," said Bob Fertik, President of Democrats.com and founder of BlogCall.
"These under-investigated scandals include Dick Cheney's still-secret Energy Task Force, the administration's Iraq War lies, and the criminal outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame by a top White House official. BlogCall will build a bridge between progressive investigative bloggers who are investigating those important scandals and the mainstream media," Fertik said.
BlogCall will begin a regular weekly schedule on Tuesday, March 8. The next featured blogger will be Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com, who has exposed the story of Clint Curtis, the Florida computer programmer who wrote "vote-flipping" software for touchscreen machines at the request of powerful Republican Congressman Tom Feeney.
Progressive bloggers and mainstream journalists are invited to participate in BlogCall by submitting their credentials at BlogCall.org.
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0225-09.htm
=====
Ben Burch (whiterosesociety.org) has an mp3 of Blogcall
NEW!
An archive of Blogcall
Thursday, February 24th, 2005
http://www.whiterosesociety.org/Blogcall.html

[dzika]

19. What? The 2004 Election Again?

From New Civilization News:
26 Feb 2005

What? The 2004 Election Again?

by Richard Carlson


I confess I was caught flat-footed yesterday afternoon when a TruthOut update hit my mailbox containing a bulletin William Pitt had sent out the evening before. I scarcely took time to read it all until this morning so even though I can find absolutely no mention of this in the media or even most of the sites and blogs still awake to the issue, it may be old news to some of you. This is about Election 2004 and the Ohio Recount which most of us thought was dead and gone...and I must say I haven't even visited many of the sites in a long time and my whole computer research system on this stuff is rusty and in disarray. But guess who still is awake and watching! Kerry-Edwards.Trying to catch up with a case as complicated as this one has gotten is not easy for the layperson, so I may make mistakes in my account. Essentially, it seems to me, we now are in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, the Honorable Judge Edmond Sargus presiding. David Cobb of the Green Party, Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party, the National Voting Rights Institute and some others filed jointly last December that the Ohio election recount was conducted by Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell in a manner inconsistent with even his own standards. They call for it to be done again. (link) (You need Adobe for all these links to the briefs.)

Furthermore they demanded all the voting machines and materials be impounded pending investigation. (link) The charged tampering by Triad techies is involved in this one. There has been bluster from the Republican administration in Ohio, but no resolution of these charges. Attorney General Petro even decided to sue the plaintiffs for all the time and money they're costing our poor state. On February 11th, Cobb and Badnarik filed for a hearing before Judge Sargus to find out what is going on with these motions. On February 14th, Judge Sargus asked for a briefing as to why the case ought not be transferred to Judge Carr up in the Northern District of Ohio, where the case that expedited the recount was decided back in November. On February 23rd, Cobb and Badnarik responded in opposition and gave their reasons why. (link)

The next day John Kerry and John Edwards added their names officially as Intervenor Counter Plaintiffs in these actions. Donald McTigue is their attorney and he introduces himself to the judge here (link) . They also present a survey they took of election officials who participated in the Ohio Recount. The contention in the case is the recount was not conducted randomly but rather from prepared vote samples. They present the survey as exhibit of evidence here (link) and the summary here (link) . Kerry-Edwards final filing on Thursday was in support of Cobb and Badnarik not to transfer the venue. (link)

William Pitt's account of these developments is here (link) , while The Free Press' story of moves involving Blackwell and Conyers is here (link) , though as of this writing nothing about Kerry-Edwards yet. Ray Beckerman is mirroring the TruthOut story too, as well as continuing to present the staggering list of fraud evidence at this page (link) . Of special interest is the featured link to Richard Hayes Phillips' analysis of Ohio's vote that shows Kerry won. (link) (That's a Wordpad document.) David Cobb's site is not updated but does talk about the Recount effort. (link)

Finally, Will Pitt wrote last night that no one should get hopes up. He says Kerry blew it when he conceded too soon...and so all that will be accomplished will be for future generations. (link) But wait a minute~~~if we get another recount and Richard Hayes Phillips' contention is upheld, what then? If Kerry won Ohio...and maybe some other states still in contention, what to do about that buffoon strutting around the world these days? Wouldn't Bush simply have to step down? Or would things have to get rough?



source: http://www.newciv.org/news2/index.htm/_v45/__show_article/_a000063-000289.htm

[MelissaB]

20. Election video

http://www.velvetrevolution.us/#020505

For those who might have missed it.

[dzika]

21. PDA Summit on Radio Left, Sunday, 2/27

PDA Summit on Radio Left, Sunday, 2/27

Dear Friend,


Working with Rev. Jesse Jackson, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the new generation of Hip Hop Caucus leaders, Democracy for America organizations and the peace movement, PDA is helping forge a new, powerful progressive coalition. Still in its organizational infancy, PDA has helped lead the progressive challenge to the civil rights abuses in the 2004 election and is now helping to focus peace movement pressure on Congress to bring our troops home from Iraq.

Two milestones in PDA's development have been the Progressive Democratic Summits in Washington, DC and Phoenix, Arizona. You can now hear many of the inspiring speeches this weekend on Radio Left. The Western Regional PDA Summit will be rebroadcast this Sunday, Feb. 27th at 12pm EST.

A DVD of the Western Regional summit will also soon be available. We hope you will find it to be a useful, inspirational, and educational tool. To see a preview click here. The DVD will be on sale on March 2nd through the AZ Democratic Progressive Caucus website.

To help us continue on this journey toward the day when the government of the United States is actually reflective of and accountable to its citizens, become a PDA Sustainer. During the month of March, we will begin our Sustainer Drive with the goal of 2000 people pledging $25 a month. Your donation will help us move forward on this critical path.

Thank you,


Tim Carpenter
Executive Director
Progressive Democrats of America

---

If you are experiencing any difficulty with the embedded links in this email, please paste the following into your browser:

http://www.radioleft.com/

http://peaceproduction.org/azdpc/trailer.html

http://www.azprogressive.us/

https://www.pdamerica.org/donate.php

[MelissaB]

22. Nader: Support Rep. Conyers Call for Bush Impeachment Inquiry

Nader: Support Rep. Conyers Call for Bush Impeachment Inquiry

By Don DeBar, WBAI

Calling Bush "the most impeachable President in US history," former presidential candidate Ralph Nader called for nationwide support of Rep. John Conyers effort to open an impeachment inquiry into the "lies and deceptions" which led to the invasion of Iraq.

See links to video and audio of Nader's appearance last night in NYC.
Video of Nader's speech (56 minutes) at www.regionalroundup.org/video/nader022505nyc.rm

Audio at www.regionalroundup.org/nader022505audio.mp3

In addition, Nader called for a referendum in Iraq on the occupation, which also appears at the Democracy Rising website, www.democracyrising.us as follows:

Dear Friends: Since freedom and democracy are such a good thing, why not put it to the people of Iraq – in a national referendum – whether or not they want us to leave? Why not give the Iraqi people the right to exercise their “democracy” and vote whether or not they want “freedom” from our military and corporate occupation? Why not? Because eighty percent of Iraqis want us out. So do a majority of Americans. Why? Because the occupation of Iraq is not about freedom and democracy. It is about oil and military occupation.

More and more Americans know the nature of the disaster that the Bush government, in our name, has created in oil-rich Iraq – over 100,000 Iraqi civilian lives lost (according to the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health), over 1,400 American lives lost, and thousands more seriously wounded and sick. People see the news stories describing the U.S. corporate takeover of Iraq through insider-deal corporate contractors with Bush administration donors.

Through the Democracy Rising Peace Project we will help ignite the American people to say – Bring the troops home, it is time for a responsible and rapid withdrawal from Iraq. Enough lives lost, enough billions spent – it is time to leave Iraq to the Iraqis.

The case against the war and occupation of Iraq, and the corporate takeover of our democracy is well documented. People want to know – what are we to do?

Now is the time to act. It is time to organize to end the illegal war and occupation of Iraq.

The U.S. corporate and military forces will end up pulling out of Iraq. The question is – when? Months? Years? Decades? After how many more preventable deaths, debilitating injuries and diseases? After how much destruction?

That's up to us. Together we can end the occupation and bring the troops home safely.

Sincerely,

Ralph Nader

Link: http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1956&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

[MelissaB]

23. Black leaders discuss contract with black America

Black leaders discuss contract with black America

CHARLES ODUM

Associated Press


LITHONIA, Ga. - For his sixth annual State of the Black Union symposium, Tavis Smiley challenged assembled black leaders to examine developing a contract with black America.

The resulting discussion had a crowd of about 2,000 on its feet for repeated ovations as the Rev. Al Sharpton, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, the Rev. Joseph Lowery and others traded sermons on the topic.

Smiley, the PBS late-night talk show host, challenged panelists to discuss the viability and potential content of "a working document" that would be designed in part for political gain.

"The next time you come calling on our vote, you come correct on the contract or you don't come at all," Smiley said.

Lowery, the former longtime president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, suggested the document be called a covenant. "We've got to recapture that spirituality; that's our strength," Lowery said.

>>snip

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and others continued the discussion on another panel later Saturday.

>>>snip

Farrakhan noted that the 10-year anniversary of the Million Man March in Washington is approaching. He said the recognition of the anniversary Oct. 14-16 will be more inclusive than the male-dominated march of 1995.

"The makeup will be our people, whatever we are," Farrakhan said. "Male, female. Gay, straight. Light, dark. Rich, poor. Ignorant, wise. We are family. We will be coming together to discuss family business."

Link: http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/11001401.htm

[understandinglife]

24. Please support VR's "Divestiture for Democracy" program.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=335076&mesg_id=335076

To get started, just click on this link:

http://www.velvetrevolution.us/mailing.php?Mailing=05FC507D500021102290C

And, MelissaB, thank you for all you are doing.

Peace.


PROVE MY VOTE COUNTS

[MelissaB]

25. Thank you, understandinglife.

Most of the time I feel like I am just spinning my wheels. I appreciate you kind comment very much. :pals:

[understandinglife]

27. You are doing so much; I, and others, are very grateful. (nt)

TBO;24/7

[MelissaB]

26. DRE voting machines costly to use

DRE voting machines costly to use

Upon the recommendation of the Sarasota County supervisor of elections, the County Commission spent $4.7 million for direct-recording electronic voting machines in November 2001. The DREs were supposed to be less expensive to use than other machines.

To measure the accuracy of this, we have analyzed and compared the annual expenditures of the supervisors of elections offices for Sarasota and Manatee counties for the fiscal years 1999 through 2004. (Manatee County purchased optical scanners in 1997. Because the registered voting population of Manatee County is approximately 20 percent smaller than Sarasota's, we increased Manatee's annual costs by 25 percent to correct for this disparity.

Sarasota County's average annual expenses for 1999- 2001 were $1.8 million and, for 2002-2004, $2.8 million.

Manatee County's adjusted average annual expenses for 1999-2001 were $1.3 million and, for 2002-2004, $1.7 million.

It is obvious from the data that there was an increase of a million dollars per year in average annual expenses of the Sarasota County elections office in changing from punch cards to the DREs. Also, it has cost Sarasota County, on average, an extra $1.2 million each year to maintain and operate the DREs vs. Manatee County's adjusted average annual cost for using optical scanners.

Clearly, using DREs is significantly more expensive than using the punch cards we had before 2002 or optical scanners. There would have been real savings if the Sarasota County Commission had discarded the DREs in April 2004 and spent $600,000 to buy optical scanners, as a citizens' group had suggested to the commissioners. The supervisor of elections said that paper ballots were expensive. Manatee bought its paper ballots for 20 cents each. For 100,000 voters, this amounts to $20,000, a trivial sum compared with the above-mentioned $1.2 million.

Rosemarie F. Myerson

Charles Edwards

Both writers reside on Longboat Key.


Link: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050225/OPINION/502250391/1029

Thanks to WillYourVoteBCounted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x335194

[dzika]

28. Talon News Web site closes amid heavy criticism

Fri Feb 25, 2005

Talon News Web site closes amid heavy criticism

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texas-based Web site whose conservative connections touched off a White House media controversy has shut down "to reevaluate operations," according to a message posted on the site.

A spokeswoman for Talon News said the site closed because its founder, Bobby Eberle of Pearland, Texas, "can only take so much beating" over the page's political slant, the Houston Chronicle reported on Friday.

Talon, which could not immediately be reached for comment, came under fire after its White House reporter, who identified himself as Jeff Gannon, asked a politically loaded question at a White House press conference and was accused by critics of being used by the Bush administration to spread conservative propaganda.
...
Spokeswoman Jennifer Ohman was quoted by the Chronicle as saying the controversy had drawn strong criticism from Web site visitors.

"The attention by and large was negative. If anything it seemed to fuel the fire," she said.


http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=7746387&type=technologyNews

[dzika]

29. Edwards: Democratic Party must not abandon core beliefs

Sat, Feb. 26, 2005

Edwards: Democratic Party must not abandon core beliefs

CURT ANDERSON


WESTON, Fla. - John Edwards, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential candidate and former North Carolina senator, told Broward County Democrats on Saturday night the party must not abandon its core beliefs in their effort to regain national power from Republicans.

"We believe in hope over despair, we believe in optimism over cynicism, we believe in possibilities over problems," Edwards told about 750 people at the party's annual Jefferson-Jackson fund-raising dinner. "And we believe in fighting desperately for people who don't have a voice."
...
Edwards' appearance was expected to raise about $100,000 for the Broward County Democrats, said chairman Mitch Caesar. The annual dinner also drew most of the top names among Florida Democrats, who will attempt to win the governorship - Gov. Jeb Bush cannot seek a third term - and hold a Senate seat in 2006.
...
Broward County is one of the Democrats' most reliable fund-raising and vote-getting jurisdictions, with more than 60 percent of the county going for Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 election. Any Democratic politician with hopes of winning the state must do well in Broward.

Several Democratic hopefuls for 2006 appeared at the dinner, including gubernatorial candidates U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, state Sen. Rod Smith, and Florida Democratic Party Chairman Scott Maddox.


http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/breaking_news/11002252.htm

[MelissaB]

30. ABC Caves In To Radical Rightwing Clerics

From sludge:

ABC EXECS FORCE ROBIN WILLAMS TO CUT OSCAR SKIT
Sat Feb 26 2005 19:21:18 ET

A growing chill is in the air over Hollywood Saturday night after ABC executives forced Robin Williams to drop a comic song from the Oscars show!

Williams, the presenter of the Academy Award for best animated feature, decided last week that his one minute on stage would be a prime time to lampoon a conservative critic James C. Dobson, whose group Focus on the Family last month criticized the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants for appearing in a video about tolerance that the group called "pro-homosexual."


Thanks to ruggerson here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3185863

Action thanks to EVDebs here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1625142


After reading this I'd like DUers to contact ABC at

Mailing Address:
ABC, Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4551
Phone number: [phone]

For ABC's Primetime and Daytime shows, as well as our Movies and Specials and ABC Sports: Audience Relations Department at [e-mail]

And demand that they reinstate the censored Robin Williams skit ! Let Williams know that behind every great comedian is a deranged, but very loyal, audience that numbers in the millions !

[dzika]

31. George Bush, Halle Berry Share Worst Film Honors

Sat Feb 26, 2005

George Bush, Halle Berry Share Worst Film Honors

By Arthur Spiegelman


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Beating such established Hollywood hunks as Colin Farrell and Vin Diesel, President Bush won the Golden Raspberry Award on Saturday for worst actor of the year for his appearance in Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Bush, two members of his administration, Britney Spears and the storybook about a goat that the president was reading to children as the Sept. 11 attacks were taking place all took top honors at the "Razzie" awards, now in their 25th year.
...
John Wilson, founder of the nonprofit Golden Raspberry Award Foundation that gives out "Hollywood's least coveted trophies" on the eve of the Oscars ceremony, said Moore's anti-Bush documentary allowed the foundation's nearly 700 members to do some Bush bashing of their own.

The president not only was named worst male actor in a leading role, he also won for being half of the year's worst screen couple when paired with either Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice or "My Pet Goat," the book he was reading to schoolchildren on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
...
Two other "Fahrenheit" stars were "honored." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was named worst supporting actor and pop star Britney Spears won for worst supporting actress for a clip in which she declares blind faith in Bush's policies while popping chewing gum.


http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7748288&src=rss/topNews

[dzika]

32. Bush: Media hiring banned

Posted on Thu, Jan. 27, 2005

Bush: Media hiring banned

By Siobhan McDonough
The Associated Press


WASHINGTON - President Bush on Wednesday ordered his Cabinet secretaries not to hire columnists to promote their agendas after disclosure that a second writer was paid to tout an administration initiative.

The president said he expects his agency heads will "make sure that that practice doesn't go forward."

"All our Cabinet secretaries must realize that we will not be paying commentators to advance our agenda. Our agenda ought to be able to stand on its own two feet," Bush said at a news conference.

Bush's remarks came a day after syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher apologized to readers for not disclosing a $21,500 contract with the Health and Human Services Department to help create materials promoting the agency's $300 million initiative to encourage marriage.

Bush also said the White House had been unaware that the Education Department paid commentator and columnist Armstrong Williams $240,000 to plug its policies. That contract came to light two weeks ago.


more: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/nation/10745197.htm

[dzika]

33. Parties sharply at odds over election reform

Feb. 26, 2005

Uniformity at polls may be elusive
Parties sharply at odds over election reform

By CRAIG GILBERT


Washington - Democrats want all 50 states to let former felons vote. Republicans want all 50 states to require photo IDs from voters.
...
Lewis says both parties in Congress want to federalize different aspects of voting, depending on what their own "hot button" issues are.

"Democrats keep wanting to do things they think expand franchise and make it far easier for their voters to participate. The Republicans always want to do the opposite. They want to say, 'We've got to have personal responsibility. Why can't we ask voters to prove who they are?' What both sides really mean is, 'We want to make it difficult for your voters to get to the polls, and we want to make it easier for our voters,' " says Lewis.

Lawmakers in Washington say they're trying to fix real flaws in the system.

But the definition of "flaw" varies dramatically by party affiliation.

House Republican Mark Green of Green Bay plans to introduce an election reform bill that would require government-issued photo IDs from voters in every state. That change would have a nationwide impact, since fewer than five states now have strict photo ID requirements.

In Wisconsin, amid controversy over ballot discrepancies in Milwaukee, the GOP-controlled state Assembly approved a photo ID requirement Thursday. Democrats say that would lower the vote among students, seniors and minorities, and Gov. Jim Doyle said he would veto such a bill.


more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/nat/feb05/305304.asp

[dzika]

34. Bills offer welcome remedies to restore confidence in the electoral proces

Sunday, February 27, 2005

A vote for election reform

U.S. Senate bills offer welcome - and necessary - remedies to help restore public confidence in the electoral process.


America's voting mechanism needs a makeover.

The hanging chads in Florida and the equipment flaws, the 10-hour-long lines and the voter intimidation in Ohio demand reforms in selecting local, state and national leadership. Lawmakers have a responsibility to repair the system, and legislation in the U.S. Senate provides a sensible blueprint for doing so.

A bill sponsored by Nevada Republican John Ensign would require a paper trail for electronic voting machines, making the process more reliable in the event of discrepancies.

A broader Democratic bill calls for other changes that would enhance the voting process.

Reform should attract bipartisan support, and either of the bills offers welcome remedies that lawmakers should consider in restoring the confidence of the voting public.


more: http://www.roanoke.com/editorials%5C19276.html

[dzika]

35. Greenberg: Who should be able to attend press briefings?

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Greenberg: Who should be able to attend press briefings?

The hottest issue in journalism right now -- sad to say -- is the weird story of a man who was representing a conservative Web site at White House press briefings.

...

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has asked the president to launch an investigation of how the man could get into White House press briefings and people are questioning if changes should be made on who can attend.

I've read stories about this issue from the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Editor & Publisher, an industry magazine. The Journal and Times wrote about the controversy and how hard it is to decide who can and cannot attend briefings with the recent explosion of media.

...

Gannon/Guckert may no longer be at White House press briefings, but the question of who should be and who should not, will probably not be settled soon, if at all.


more: http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/022705/new_20050227015.shtml