Ah, The Places Fraud Hides...Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Sunday, 4/29/07

[Melissa G]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Sunday, 4/29/07

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.



Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

If you can:
1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.


2. Post stories using the new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x407240

3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.


4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.




Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

[Melissa G]

1. Senate ignored 5 Texas Asst. U.S. attorney deaths and firings at Gonzales hearing

Here is a thread from Texas DUer Magick Muffin that did not get near enough exposure...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=3239840


Original message
Senate ignored 5 Texas Asst. U.S. attorney deaths and firings at Gonzales hearing
George Oilwellian posted this topic in GD. I started researching this as well and I have the link posted below to GO's OP. This is a Motherlode of MOTHERLODES... Spread This FAR and WIDE



Medicare fraud plaintiff filings cite FBI electronic surveillance, illegal searches tied to obstruction of justice by DOJ lawyer replacing Missouri U.S. attorney prosecuting same case

by Tom Flocco

Washington—April 25, 2007—Tom Flocco.com—Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats failed to question Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about five Texas assistant U.S. attorneys—two of whom were found dead and three fired within a space of 90 days during 2004— while they were prosecuting the same Medicare fraud and money laundering case with Kansas City U.S. attorney Todd P. Graves who announced his resignation on March 10, 2006 under pressure from the Justice Department.

Reminiscent of the notorious but overlooked Clinton administration “body count” statistics, Thelma Quince Colbert, head of the Fort Worth Justice Department (DOJ) civil litigation unit prosecuting companies defrauding government funded programs like Medicare, reportedly drowned in her swimming pool on July 20, 2004; and less than two months later Shannon Ross, criminal chief of the adjacent Dallas DOJ office was found dead in her home on September 13, 2004 after signing subpoenas seeking evidence in the Texas-based Novation LLC Medicare fraud case involving several other medical supply companies.

35 days later on October 18, 2004 Gonzales fired three white collar crime prosecuting assistant U.S. attorneys in then-deceased Thelma Colbert’s Fort Worth office—Leonard Senerote, Michael Uhl and Michael Snipes, raising serious questions as to why Senate Democrats failed to interrogate Gonzales regarding the curious decimation of the DOJ’s Dallas-Fort Worth corporate fraud unit resulting from two deaths and three firings within three months, all linked to the same money laundering case.

http://tomflocco.com/fs/UsAttDeathsFirings.htm





There is a discussion here that started my research and decided to add this thread here to cross pollinate.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x758013

[Melissa G]

2. The Motherlode - Down a dark hole in the US Attorney purge scandal

This is the beginning of the long post by George Oilwellian that started Magick Muffin's investigation.. worth reading if you missed it...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x758013

Original message
The Motherlode - Down a dark hole in the US Attorney purge scandal
LittleThoms Blog has put it together:


In 2000 Samuel Lipari of Kansas City, Missouri started the company Medical Supply Chain. It's purpose: to allow hospitals to buy supplies directly from manufacturers, thereby bypassing the huge health care Group Purchasing Organizations (GPO’s), primarily Novation and Neoforma, and saving health care consumers, by his estimate, $80 billion a year.

In 2002 Lipari tried to get things going. But:

Samuel Lipari, CEO of the Missouri firm, said that his company’s troubles began in 2002. Lipari sought funding from US Bank to start MSC. The loan, which seemed like a sure thing, was denied. US Bank cited a money laundering provision of the USA PATRIOT Act as the reason, telling Lipari that his company “could not really give all the correct answers on the source and flow of money” for Medical Supply Chain. Lipari and his attorney, Bret Landrith, argued that the PATRIOT Act seemed irrelevant to a company in good standing with the state of Missouri and clearly traceable funds from U.S. citizens seeking a bank loan.


• Why did that happen?


But as they looked into the problem, Landrith and Lipari said they noticed that US Bank had a business relationship with Piper Jaffray, which in turn had a relationship with Novation and Neoforma. The only explanation for denying funding to MSC, which claims that it could save hospitals $80 billion, was that Piper Jaffray, US Bank, and Novation conspired to keep MSC out of the marketplace.


• Lipari filed suit against USBank, Piper Jaffray, and Novation (based in Irving, Texas) in
October, 2002 (date based on article at .

• In August of 2004 the Justice Department in Dallas began an investigation into Novation. (Separate NYTimes article - pdf.)


An independent study by Harvard Law School Prof. Einer Elhauge brought together all the arguments against GPOs. He said that contracts requiring hospitals to purchase 90 percent or more of their supplies from large vendors exclude rivals and harm consumers and hospitals to the tune of $6 billion a year. The loyalty rebates, he said, act as penalties for hospitals that stray from the GPO. Beyond that, Elhauge concluded, the GPO process also stifles the development of even more innovative products.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x758013

[Melissa G]

3. Writer/Researcher of EAC 'Voter Fraud' Study Says She Has Been Gag-Ordered by the Federal Commission

Thanks to babylonsister for the post and the DU discussion here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=471538
Original message
Writer/Researcher of EAC 'Voter Fraud' Study Says She Has Been Gag-Ordered by the Federal Commission
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/21840

Writer/Researcher of EAC 'Voter Fraud' Study Says She Has Been Gag-Ordered by the Federal Commission
Submitted by davidswanson on Fri, 2007-04-27 16:22. Elections | Evidence

Tova Andrea Wang, Co-Author of Bi-Partisan 'Voter Fraud and Voter Intimidation Report' for the Election Assistance Commission, Calls for an End to the Censorship in Wake of EAC's Altering of Her Report...

In a just released statement , Tova Andrea Wang, a Democracy Fellow at the Century Foundation --- co-author of a report that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) attempted to bury --- has announced that the federal commission of Presidential-appointees has refused to allow her to speak directly about her report and the action taken by the EAC to alter its findings and hide her original report from public view.

Despite the controversy surrounding the bi-partisan report and Wang's desire to participate in the discussion as the report's co-author, the EAC --- at the heart of several controversies of late and increasing Congressional scrutiny --- has barred her from speaking about it.

"It has been my desire to participate in this discussion and share my experience as a researcher, expert and co-author of the report," Wang says in her statement. "Unfortunately, the EAC has barred me from speaking."

Additionally, her official legal requests have been ignored by the commission....

FULL REPORT: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4464

[Melissa G]

4. BRAD BLOG: Three Dismal New Failures from the EAC...

Thanks to BradBlog for the post and the DU discussion here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x471558


Original message
BRAD BLOG: Three Dismal New Failures from the EAC...


Democratic EAC Commissioner Responds to Request by 'Voter Fraud' Report Author to Have Gag-Order Lifted

New Appointee to Federal Commssion, Rosemary Rodgriguez, Releases Statement Calling for Tova Wang to be Allowed to Address Controversy Concerning the Alteration, Withholding of Her Work

RELATED FOLLOW-UP: EAC Has Still Failed to Notify States of Vote-Flipping Virus Vulnerability in ES&S iVotronic Systems, Media Has Similarly Failed to Cover It...

FULL REPORT:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4471

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EAC Interferes With Florida Decision To Rid the State of Touch-Screen DRE Voting Systems
Announces Meeting to Discuss Florida...to be Held in Washington DC...

Guest Blogged by John Gideon


This public meeting that is very important to the state of Florida --- will be convened in Washington DC to ensure that the commissioners make it as hard as possible for anyone to attend and voice their opinions.

The EACs "Sunshine Notice" announcement is for a meeting that is murky and as closed as the EAC can possibly make it without directly violating federal law.

FULL REPORT:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4466
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x471558

[Melissa G]

5. Toon from Austin's own Ben Sargent

[Melissa G]

6. Senate votes to end touch-screen voting

Senate votes to end touch-screen voting
BY GARY FINEOUT
[e-mail]

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida is on the verge of doing away with touch-screen voting in favor of paper ballots, after the state Senate voted overwhelmingly Friday to pay for optical-scan machines and House leaders said they are optimistic they will agree next week.

The change would be in place for the 2008 elections in all 15 counties that use ATM-style machines -- including Miami-Dade and Broward -- for all voters except the disabled, who would still use touch-screen machines until 2012.

The move to voting machines that produce a paper trail is a priority for Gov. Charlie Crist. The House has been reluctant to approve paying the $28 million cost, but is getting some powerful incentive from the Senate: The bill also calls for Florida to make its '08 presidential primary one of the earliest in the nation, on Jan. 29 -- one of the top items on House Speaker Marco Rubio's wish list this year.

The 73-page bill, which passed the Senate by a 37-2 vote, includes several controversial provisions: Election-law violations would be harder to prosecute, third-party groups that register voters would be subject to fines, and groups pushing constitutional amendments would face additional hurdles.

http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/89301.html

[Melissa G]

7. EAC pulls shenanigans on Florida voters

Because of the Florida Senate vote to ban DREs, The EAC called a fast public hearing (three days)about Florida Voting... In Washington DC!

EAC Interferes With Florida Decision To Rid the State of Touch-Screen DRE Voting Systems
Announces Meeting to Discuss Florida...to be Held in Washington DC...

Guest Blogged by John Gideon


This public meeting that is very important to the state of Florida --- will be convened in Washington DC to ensure that the commissioners make it as hard as possible for anyone to attend and voice their opinions.

The EACs "Sunshine Notice" announcement is for a meeting that is murky and as closed as the EAC can possibly make it without directly violating federal law.

FULL REPORT:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4466

[Melissa G]

8. Dill argues in Oped for Holt

(note..Today's editor, Melissa G, supports Holt Only if it is amended...Not as it currently stands. A rebuttal is being posted next)

It's Time to Outlaw Paperless Electronic Voting in the US

by David Dill Page 1 of 1 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com



IT'S TIME TO OUTLAW PAPERLESS ELECTRONIC VOTING IN THE U.S.

David L. Dill
VerifiedVoting.org



---

Four years ago, when I began publicly opposing paperless electronic
voting, passing a Federal law to require voter-verified paper records
(VVPRs) seemed an impossible dream. Rep. Rush Holt introduced such a
bill in 2003, and another in 2005, but both bills languished in
committee until the clock ran out.

The dream is now achievable, due in part to the unending stream of
problems caused by paperless voting machines in recent years. HR 811,
the third incarnation of the Holt bill, is a critical measure needed
to protect the integrity of our elections, and it now has very good
prospects of being enacted. It already has 210 co-sponsors in the
House, where only 218 votes are required to pass it.

There are two provisions in HR 811 that are especially vital for
restoring trust in American elections: A nationwide requirement for
voter-verified paper records, and stringent random manual counts of
those records, to make sure they agree with the announced vote totals.
The requirements in the Holt bill are superior to those in almost
every state of the country (there are now 22 states with significant
amounts of paperless electronic voting, and only 13 states require
random audits of VVPRs).

Success is not assured, however. The forces that have blocked
previous bills are still active, especially vendors of current poorly
performing equipment. Also, various concerns, reasonable and
otherwise, have been raised about the bill by other parties.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_di_070426_it_s_time_to_outlaw_.htm

[Melissa G]

9. Nancy Tobi's Rebuttal to Dill's support of the HR 811 Trojan Horse

April 27, 2007 at 09:23:50

Rebuttal to Dill's support of the HR 811 Trojan Horse

by Nancy Tobi Page 1 of 3 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com

Dr. David Dill, long time proponent of the concept of "verified voting" (voters get to proofread computer printouts of their voting intention), recently posted an oped in support of the Holt Bill (HR 811).

However, Dr. Dill's arguments in support of HR 811 fall apart from the moment he promotes an "it's this or nothing" position. Every argument he makes in support of the bill is easily deconstructed when we remember we are fighting for our American democracy and not the right for corporate technologists, computer expert elitists, and bureaucrats to run our elections.


A very bright voting rights activist in California stated to me the other night, "we did away with the literacy test as a right to vote a long time ago!"

And we will fight just as hard to do away with the computer literacy test embedded in our current technoelection nightmare, embraced and supported by HR 811.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_nancy_to_070427_rebuttal_to_dill_s_s.htm

[Melissa G]

10. Vendors Try an End Run Around NYS Election Law

Around the States




Vendors Try an End Run Around NYS Election Law
By Bo Lipari, New Yorkers for Verified Voting
April 28, 2007
Uncertified DREs to be used in Troy School Election on May 15


This article was posted to Bo Lipari's Web log and is reposted here with permission of the author.



In a brazen attempt to get their uncertified DREs used in New York State, Liberty Election Systems and their Dutch partner Nedap made the City School District of Troy New York an offer they couldn’t refuse – use of 10 of their DREs in the upcoming May 15, 2007 School District Election at no cost to the district. Unfortunately, the LibertyVote/Nedap DRE has not completed New York State testing or met any of the State’s regulatory standards, and is not certified for use in the State by the New York State Board of Elections.
The voting machine vendors have been frustrated by their inability to meet New York’s high certification standards and source code escrow requirements. They’ve found a way to get around the testing halt instituted in January by NYS Board of Elections when the New York Times revealed that Ciber, the agency conducting New York’s tests, had lost federal accreditation six months earlier. Liberty Election Systems is preying upon cash strapped school districts, offering them free use of machines and support personnel to run their elections. Of course, Liberty doesn’t mention that their DREs haven’t passed state certification, have documented security vulnerabilities, and will be supported by Dutch technical staff working for Nedap.



Dutch Technicians to Oversee DREs in US Election

Liberty Election Systems is a privately held New York State corporation that markets the Dutch DREs here in the US. Liberty doesn’t do tech stuff; they handle the sales and marketing end. The Dutch company “Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek”, known as Nedap, provides the technical expertise; designing, writing and supporting all software and hardware. So far in New York State Nedap engineers have provided all technical oversight and support of the LibertyVote/Nedap DRE during tests, demonstrations, New York State Board of Elections meetings, you name it. But the election on May 15th isn’t a demo, it’s a real election with an $88.3 million dollar budget at stake. The technical advisors running the LibertyVote/Nedap DREs on Troy’s Election Day will be foreign citizens. Do we really want foreign nationals running voting machines in American elections?

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2420&Itemid=113

[Melissa G]

11. King County, WA, May Buy Diebold Tabulators As New Election Director Pronounces Them 'The Solution W

King County, WA, May Buy Diebold Tabulators As New Election Director Pronounces Them 'The Solution With Least Amount of Risk'
Take it From Me, a Man Who Knows, She Couldn't Be More Wrong...
Guest Blogged by Stephen Heller

By framing the debate as one of 'secret software and secret machines owned by a private corporation' vs. 'complete transparency, nothing secret except the secret ballot,' things might look a little clearer to King County residents.
In an article from the April 24th edition of the Seattle Times, we learn that King County, Washington election officials have recommended Diebold tabulators for use in counting mail-in ballots.

According to Sherril Huff, who has been nominated by County Executive Ron Sims to become elections director, Diebold products represent "the solution with the least amount of risk."

Say what?!

Sherril Huff, nominated by County Executive Ron Sims to become elections director, on Monday told the Metropolitan King County Council that Diebold's tabulators are the lowest-cost option, are compatible with King County's existing Diebold products and represent "the solution with the least amount of risk."
I am astounded (although I guess as a regular reader of The BRAD BLOG I shouldn't be) that any election official can, at this point in time, say that ANY Diebold product is "the solution with the least amount of risk."

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4463

[Melissa G]

12. Claims of voting violations bring monitors to Waller County

( Editor believes this is a case of Fox guarding henhouse. TX AG Greg Abbott does not inspire my confidence...)




Claims of voting violations bring monitors to Waller County


By HELEN ERIKSEN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

HEMPSTEAD — The Texas secretary of state's office will send people to monitor the May 12 election in Waller County in the wake of allegations of voting rights violations and the state's takeover of the elections office.

The move comes as the attorney general's office investigates accusations that about 1,000 students at Prairie View A&M University, a historically black institution, registered to vote for the Nov. 7, 2006, elections but were left off the rolls. The U.S. Justice Department also is investigating.

Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for Attorney General Greg Abbott, said this week the agency has seized and is examining documents relevant to the Waller County elections case.

"However, we are actively engaged in an ongoing investigation and cannot comment further," he said.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4756823.html

[Melissa G]

13. TX : Complete voter list not delivered

Complete voter list not delivered

By Mary Madewell
The Paris News

Published April 29, 2007

Voters who registered after April 7 may not be on the voter list as early balloting begins Monday.

A new voter registration system required by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 is the problem, and it is causing Texas county election officials plenty of anguish.

Lamar County Clerk Kathy Marlowe said Friday she does not have complete voter registration lists for city, county and school entities. All begin early voting Monday in the May 12 uniform election.

“This is a statewide problem, and an unexcusable one at that, because the system we had before worked perfectly,” Marlowe said.

http://web.theparisnews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=4f415e43ab0beb8c

[Melissa G]

14. Re-Media needs you to help Be The Media

Re-Media needs you to help Be The Media

by andi novick Page 1 of 1 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com

Dear friends,


We could really use your help. The issue that Re-Media will be discussing at upcoming film screenings and a panel forum first weekend in June, has been described by seasoned activists and regular patriots as the worst crisis of our history. We need to be the media and spread the word, with your help.


WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT:

The Declaration of Independence provides that governments are instituted to secure our inalienable rights deriving their just power from the consent of the governed. The mechanism by which we exercise our consent are elections, which must remain under the people's authority. If the people lose control, they've lost their ability to be a free, self-governing people. Since the passage of the 2002 Help America Vote Act the people living in 49 states of the Union have been required to give up control of their elections and have their votes counted in secret, on computers, owned by private corporations. The government's own technical advisors (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and the Government Accountability Office as well as computer scientists in numerous university studies all agree there is no such thing as tamper-proof software. These reports have shown how easily a single person could rig a major election without detection. Moreover, the evidence that the count has been tampered with in the last 4 elections is shocking, albeit largely unreported and misrepresented in main stream media.

To permit the counting of our votes to be concealed from the public is to permit the loss of democracy. New York is the only state that hasn't purchased electronic voting machines. Since the software in all computers, be they touch screen (DREs) or Optical Scanners, is incontrovertibly capable of being tampered with, there is no way to know that the votes were accurately counted as cast, based on the computer tally. We can however adopt simple protocols wherein we securely count our votes by hand, on election night, and know with certainty that the result of the election is correct.

WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO:

Re-media is making an all-out effort to reach as many people as possible with this critical information not reported in the establishment media. We will be holding film screenings throughout May and June and present a panel of experts, the first weekend of June. We need help to reach more communities.

Please consider taking on a screening in your community. If you've not held screenings before, just call your local town hall or library (you will need a DVD projector which many of these places have) and then just set up some dates for screening these films. You can do house parties. We will make copies of the DVDs available to you. We can come and answer questions during the post screening discussions. We can help publicize the screenings. We will have reviews of the films posted on our website that you can use.

More info Here!....
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_andi_nov_070428_re_media_needs_you_t.htm

[livvy]

15. Good 'toon! K&R

Poor, poor 'Zales....deserves every arrow!
Here's a couple of more ideas for 'Zales:
:rofl:

Nice thread and thank you!

[Melissa G]

16. Yep, He probably does, But it will be even Better when we get the Frauds Hiding Behind Him

Busted. Fire and Indict Rove. Impeach and Indict Cheney, then Shrub.
The sooner the better.

[livvy]

18. Tomorrow works for me, although yesterday would have been better. n/t

[Melissa G]

17. Pivotal Ohio 2004 Vote-Kerry Was Ahead-Then Server Went Down for 90 Minutes-Result-Bush Had Lead!

Thanks to the marvelous kpete for the post and the DU discussion here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x471730

Original message
Pivotal Ohio 2004 Vote-Kerry Was Ahead-Then Server Went Down for 90 Minutes-Result-Bush Had Lead!
April 29, 2007 at 12:49:44

The Pivotal Ohio vote in 2004: Who did the counting?

by Josh Mitteldorf Page 1 of 1 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com





A state electorate that was ‘within striking distance’ for vote theft. Pre-election and election-day polls indicated a 4% margin in Kerry’s favor

..............

Somehow, that gap was closed, and Bush came out on top in the official count. Until now, there were strong reasons to believe the vote count had been corrupted, but no direct evidence as to how a swing of this magnitude could have been engineered.

This week, in a series of articles by Bob Firakis, Steven Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman, a fact has come to light that suggests the answer: On the night of 2-3 November, 2004, the computer designated to count Ohio votes was cut out of the loop. Its web address was diverted to a private company in Chattanooga, TN, named SMARTech.

..................

The web redirection on Election Night of 2004 went a step beyond this: Not only did the official website of the Ohio Department of State look just right, but it had the right address: http://election.sos.state.oh.us . Any citizen or press service looking for real time election results from the state of Ohio would have been directed here. In every sense, this SMARTech site became the official vote tabulation for the state of Ohio.

.................

SMARTech leases computer servers to the Republican National Committee, and the 12-digit ISP address to which the Ohio Department of State was diverted for the 2004 vote count falls between two ranges known to be leased to the RNC. This raises the suspicion that it was an RNC computer, impersonating the state of Ohio computer, that performed the official vote tabulation in 2004. This diversion is so unusual (and brazen!) a ruse, that it is inconceivable that it happened without Blackwell’s explicit consent.

The Ohio web site was showing Kerry ahead before midnight. Then the server went down for 90 minutes, and when it came back up, Bush had a commanding lead.


more at:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_josh_mit_070429_the_pivotal_ohio_vot.htm

[Kurovski]

19. Kick to the top.

Thank you, MG! :hi: