As a Canadian I have just seen how an election can be manipulated in legal and not so legal ways to ensure the Party In Power Remains in Power by calling an unnecessary election combined with fear and hate mongering while the Party in Power wrapped itself in the Flag and God and slogans such as " Support Our Troops " and " National Security " as if anyone who dared vote against the Conservative Party were Anti-Canadian or disloyal or unpatriotic and was therefore on the side of the Taliban & the Terrorist.We were told we must be greatful that God sent us the Super-Rich to bless us and that we should ignore the working poor , the homeless, the struggling Middle Class and the physically and mentally disabled who are lucky to get crumbs from the Rich Man's table. And so it goes...
Talk about your failed States. Fixed elections , corrupt officials, an over-reaching Presidency and Vice President who make and break laws at will who ignore the country's Constitution & Bill of Rights and Raging Fanatics on the Radio & Television predicting the end of America if Barack Obama wins. Meanwhile cities are beefing up their police force preparing for violence during or just after the election. And if there is no apparent violence will the government just go out arresting any crowds of civilians they can find especially if they are supporters of Barack Obama. So as " V" says " REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE 5th OF NOVEMBER " if those in power manage to steal another election. I do not recommend violence but rather peaceful protest in every state capital and especially in Washington DC.
Americans especially Republicans need to be reminded that Voting is not just a privilege but is a Fundamental Right. Of course Republicans didn't care in the last two Presidential elections about ensuring that everyone Vote and that their vote be fairly counted. The Republicans under Bush & Cheney and now under McCain & Palin are doing everything in their power to prevent millions of Americans from casting their vote. They especially want to prevent those who are newly registered voters from being counted because the Republicans fear that most of these new voters will be casting their votes for Barack Obama. It now appears given Obama's lead in the polls that if he loses it will because of Republican interference in the electoral process. If this happened in some country run by a dictator or authoritarian regime it wouldn't be a surprise but that it may happen in America is a real tragedy and if it occurs no foreign country should be obliged to recognize a government that comes to power through " Fraudulent means ".
This is a speech by President Lyndon Johnson which McCain/Palin should be reminded of that every American citizen has a right to vote without being heckled, intimidated or Harassed -Yet McCain supporters seem to believe that only they have a right to vote and they will do everything they can to prevent those who support Obama from voting or registering to vote or ensure that those ballots cast for Obama are not counted in the final tally on the day of the election.So millions of votes cast by supporters of Obama will go uncounted -
President Lyndon Johnson - Speech on Voting Rights
Is the 2008 McCain/Palin campaign just a reversion to old White Racist efforts " By any Means Necessary " to keep blacks from voting . Blacks who tried to vote were often prevented from voting using questionable literacy test to physical intimidation to evicting blacks from their homes if they tried to register to vote to day-light shootings to midnight lynchings. Is this the old America which Sarah Palin and John McCain want to support. Many of their supporters seem to believe it given their outburst at rallies and their demonstrations at early polling stations.
Check out this article about the racist Sen. Theodore G. Bilbo :
By Any Means Necessary
Sen. Theodore G. Bilbo’s Legacy of Hate Pierre Tristam / Candide’s Notebooks, July 16, 2007
Theodore G. Bilbo was governor of Mississippi for two terms and a U.S. Senator for two, from 1935 to 1947. He ranks high and shrill among the crowded thicketry of openly racist and violence-loving American politicians. On June 6, 1946—D Day’s second anniversary—Etoy Fletcher, a black Army veteran who’d served 23 months in the South Pacific, tried to register to vote in Brandon, a small burg just east of Jackson, Mississippi. Fletcher was attending Jackson College on the GI Bill at the time. At the courthouse, the circuit clerk told him to see “the gentleman in charge of veterans affairs” on the second floor. The gentleman on the second floor told him to “get out,” following which four white men kidnapped Fletcher, took him to the woods, stripped him, flogged him with a wire cable, and threatened to kill him if he tried to register again. There’s nothing original about the story. It happened routinely, terror being every black individual’s inalienable burden. But nothing happened routinely without the active encouragement of the law. State-sponsored terrorism has long and deep roots in the American heartland, and lawmakers and other species of prominent, upstanding men of their communities etched it lucidly and unapologetically in the habits of heartlessness of the men, women and children around them: The teaching of hate, of dehumanizing other human beings, takes effort and skill, because it’s against human nature to dehumanize one’s own, but it was one form of education Americans of the Old South excelled at. After three hundred years of the same, it came naturally.
A few hours after Etoy Fletcher’s affidavit documenting his assault became public, Sen. Theodore Bilbo, in a radio address no less, called on “every red-blooded Anglo-Saxon man in Mississippi to resort to any means to keep hundreds of Negroes from the polls in the July 2 primary. And if you don’t know what that means, you are just not up to your persuasive measures.” This, from the mouth of a sitting U.S. Senator, on the public airwaves, in post-war America, regarding black men, most of whom were veterans fresh from defending American freedoms from fascism and Japanese imperialism.
A year after his own exhortation to attack blacks uppity enough to presume to have the right to vote, Bilbo would be dead, but not before publishing a book called “Take Your Choice” (a book fully available on the web in pdf) where he lays out his thesis, such as it was, that the black “volcano” had to be removed from white American soil:" The lines are clearly drawn, and there is no middle ground. This problem, which exists because of the presence of some 12,865,518 Negroes in this country, can be permanently solved only by the physical separation of the races or by resigning ourselves to total mongrelization resulting in the destruction of both the white and black races and thus realizing the dream of the late Professor Franz Boas of Columbia University and many Negro writers-a brown race-a mixed race-mongrels-products of sin itself. Thousands of years of racial contact throughout world history offer proof of this conclusion. The experiences and history of thousands of years prove that whenever and wherever the white and black man have tried to live side by side the result has been mongrelization which has destroyed both races and left a brown mongrel people."
Democracy Now! Voter Intimidation & Machine Malfunctions
For Transcript see :At TruthOut.org Voter Intimidation & Machine Malfunctions Oct. 22, 2008
What the McCain 's Republican supporters can't abide is that the Obama campaign has been making great strides in getting millions of new voters registered and are doing all they can to get these people to vote. This the Republicans see as a conspiracy to defeat their candidates.
And there have been a few graphic examples of Republicans contravening the 1964 " Voters Rights Act ":
McCain Supporters Heckle Early Voters, Call Them Cheaters Christina Bellantoni Oct. 20, 2008 at Huffington Post
Sen. Barack Obama has set up a massive organization across the country, and especially in North Carolina.
The campaign has given supporters lists with hours and locations of early voting sites, and collected the names, e-mail address and cell phone number of each attendee at the Fayetteville rally Sunday afternoon. (There were a few thousand who had to listen to his speech from the parking lot after the coliseum hit about 10,000 capacity.)
An organizer at the rally rattled off the addresses of early vote sites nearby that would be open after the event.
Photographer Joe Eddins and I headed over to the closest one and found a steady line of voters hoping to cast ballots early. Most seemed to be Obama supporters and several had come from the rally. Nearly all the voters were black.
Also at the polling site was a group of loud and angry protesters who shouted and mocked the voters as they walked in. Nearly all were white.
As you can see from these videos, no one held anything back. People were shouting about Obama's acknowledged cocaine use as a young man, abortion and one man used the word "terrorist." They also were complaining that Sundays are for church, not voting.
Heckling & Intimidating Voters at Advance Polls- Mainly whites Heckling Black Pro-Obama Voters
Republicans protest at North Carolina early voting site
The scene outside an early voting site in Fayetteville, N.C., a few hours after Sen. Barack Obama held a rally nearby. Most of the voters were supporting the Democrat - Republicans shouted and heckled them as they entered the polling place. Oct. 19, 2008
and from Democracy Now! Amy Goodman
NC: Obama voters heckled in early voting!
Contravening the 1964 Voter's Rights Act
Do American citizens have the right to heckle and harass people exercising their right to vote ? Republicans believe that they have the right at Polling Stations to heckle and intimidate those voters whom they believe are supporters of Barack Obama.The American Constitution and the Voters Rights Act say they are wrong and that they can be prosecuted for such actions. But once again we see that the Bush/Cheney Regime is still in charge in America and they believe they are the ones who can make or break laws as they see fit. Even a local Sheriff feels he has no obligation to enforce the law or is blissfully unaware that such a law exists.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Voting Rights Watch: Voter intimidation in Fayetteville, NC? at Facing South
An angry group of protesters harassing and yelling at people going into a voting site would seem to be a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1964. As Section 11 (b) of the Act clearly states:-----------------No person, whether acting under color of law or otherwise, shall intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for voting or attempting to vote, or intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for urging or aiding any person to vote or attempt to vote.
However, when Bellatoni asked local law enforcement about the harassment, they didn't see a problem:
At the voting site, I asked a local sheriff monitoring the scene if the protesters were allowed. "They're fine," he said. I asked if he'd ever seen anything like that and he said he'd never seen Sunday voting.
The same day, at least 30 people who attended the Obama rally came out to find their tires had been slashed. As The Fayetteville Observer reports:
The tires were cut while people were inside the Crown Coliseum listening to speeches, said Maj. E. Wright of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. [...]
Susan Lagana, the North Carolina communications director for Obama, said it was extremely disappointing and unfortunate that “people would have to experience something like that.”
Mario Diaz, communications director for McCain, did not respond to a call late Sunday.
Sarah Revis, who lives on Wilkes Road, said the slashed tires left several women, including a single mother and a toddler, stranded and upset.
One of the leaders of the Republican-led protest at the early voting site later said he was expressing dissatisfaction with the county's decision to extend early voting hours for the Obama rally, although the choice of tactics -- and why voters, instead of election board members, were targeted -- was not explained.
Republicans using more ways to Steal This Election!!!
Disenfrachised Voters? Election Officials says too bad & Get A Life!
ANP: American News Project :
Thursday, October 23, 2008 by American News Project Voters Sue Pennsylvania, Election Official Scoffs
by Danielle Ivory
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Earlier this week, ANP reported that, come November, Pennsylvania voters could face substantial delays at the polls. We spoke with the man running the election in Philadelphia, who scoffed at long lines and tales of lost votes. Now, voters are suing the state of Pennsylvania.
With the help of Voter Action and the NAACP, they filed a complaint this morning in Philadelphia federal court, specifically citing an interview between the American News Project and Philadelphia Deputy City Commissioner Fred Voigt. Here's an update and more of our interview with Philly's deputy commissioner, Fred Voigt.
Next we have an article which details how expatriot Americans are being disenfranchised due to those in positions of power who can on a mere whim take away one's right to vote or to disallow one's vote. This is important because the expatriots vote amounts to some seven million voters.
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Expatriots Voters Tangled Up In Ballot Red Tape by Diane Tucker at Huffington Post Oct. 23, 2008
We're seeing all sorts of problems, thousands of them, at all levels," said Margo Miller, co-chair of the International Voter Registration Committee for Democrats Abroad and co-founder of VoteFromAbroad.org. From her London office, Miller told OffTheBus that election officials and expat support groups have seen an increase in voter confusion this year, compared to 2004. "There's much more interest in this election, and that's part of the reason for the increased frustration with all these little-known preconditions," she said.
Expats used to feel removed from events in the United States, but not anymore. Eight years of failed foreign policy decisions by the Bush Administration have negatively impacted the lives of Americans overseas, and now they want to make their voices heard in November. What happened in Florida in 2000, and Ohio in 2004, was a wake-up call. Thousands of expats suddenly realized that their vote really can make a difference.
It's one thing to cast a vote, another to make sure it counts.
In Texas, overseas ballots must be marked in dark blue or black ink, or they will not be counted. In Maryland, some counties require a #2 pencil. "What constitutes a #2 pencil in Ireland?" a mystified voter asked Miller.
In California, where Brian Reagan is from, ballots being sent out from Los Angeles may have the words Sample Ballot printed on them. "This is terribly misleading, because this slate is the only ballot these expats will receive. They should vote it, and return it," Jody Couser, press officer for Democrats Abroad, told OffTheBus.
...In Alaska, an expat with a social security number and an American passport was denied registration because he did not have an Alaskan hunting/fishing license, an Alaskan pay stub, or an Alaskan student loan. This happened to his entire family.
...The total number of potential overseas voters is nearly seven million, and more of these American citizens are now registered than ever before. To help demystify the overseas voting process, Miller and others are using the power of the internet. "It starts with communicating the basics," she said. "Americans living abroad have the right to vote, but many of them don't know it. And many don't know they must take the initiative to request a ballot."
Websites offering assistance in figuring out the peculiarities of state ballots include DemocratsAbroad.org and VoteFromAbroad.org. Voters who have already solved a particular ballot problem are encouraged to email votercentral@democratsabroad.org on the Voting Action Center page, to share what they've learned with others. "Don't become discouraged by the horror stories you hear. Working together, we can make sure every vote counts," said Miller.
...More Obama votes have the potential to be questioned or discarded because the expat vote appears to be breaking his way. The overseas military vote is no longer a Republican stronghold, and civilian expats view this election as especially important because of the hostility they feel for George Bush. Larry Moffett, a former New Yorker now living in Belgium, told OffTheBus that Obama is "far more popular than McCain in Belgium, by a margin of about 10 to l."
The European media is "treating both candidates fairly objectively since Europeans try not to be seen as interfering in the affairs of a foreign country," said Moffett. The BBC is probably the most widely listened to English news source. "I think Fox News, with all its yelling and ticker-tape graphics, would terrify the average European," said Reagan.
Expats have the potential to become a silent swing vote in a number of states, but many remain confused by the larger American electorate. "We don't understand how Bush won in the first place, or how the race in 2008 can even be close. Europeans are perplexed by what the U.S. voter sees, or doesn't see," said Moffett. "The widely held view is that an Obama win is America's last chance for redemption."
Republicans will do anything to try to steal this election
Indiana Judge Rules Against Closing Early Voting Sites:Thursday 23 October 2008 by: McClatchy Newspapers
GOP officials attempted to block early voting sites in heavily Democratic cities on the grounds that they violated election rules. A Lake County, Indiana, superior court judge ordered the early voting sites to remain open.
Republican officials claimed the sites in the northwest region of the swing state violated local election rules.
A Lake county, Indiana, superior court judge yesterday ordered early voting sites in heavily Democratic cities Hammond, Gary and East Chicago to remain open in a decision that could affect the presidential election in the battleground state.
In her decision, Judge Diane Kavadias Schneider dismissed complaints from local Republican officials trying to block the sites on the grounds they violated local election rules and created a risk for voter fraud.
Since local Republicans first sought to close the sites two weeks ago, the case has drawn attention from the presidential campaigns of both John McCain and Barack Obama because Indiana is a swing state.
"This is one of a dozen-plus legal actions that our campaign is paying attention to," said Ben Porritt, a spokesman for the McCain-Palin campaign. "Most importantly, the goal of our campaign is to ensure that all eligible voters have an opportunity to vote, and their votes be counted. We obviously back early polling locations, as long as they are done according to state law. While we disagree with this decision, we will continue to monitor any further legal action that takes place
And even More Ways to Steal The Election according to McClatchy Newspapers:
Thursday, October 23, 2008 by McClatchy Newspapers
Florida's GOP Lawmakers Blamed For Early-Voting Lines
by Charles Rabin, Larry Lebowitz and Michael Vasquez
Saying early voting cost too much money with rules that weren't uniform, Republican legislators led a charge three years ago to set new statewide standards limiting the number of polling sites and their hours of operation.
Long lines have confronted Floridians trying to vote early. This one snaked outside a library in Orlando on Monday. (McClatchy)Those revamped rules trimmed early voting from 12 hours per workday to eight.
During the first presidential election since Gov. Jeb Bush signed the bill in 2005, the new law's impact can be seen throughout South Florida: exhausting lines at polling sites in Miami-Dade and Broward that led voters to miss work, senior citizens to beg for chairs and voting advocates to question whether some are being disenfranchised.
From Miami City Hall to the Southwest Regional Library in Pembroke Pines, voters on Monday and Tuesday -- the first two days of early voting -- sweated out waits of two to five hours. Broward reported record turnout for early voting, which ends Nov. 2.
Now, the debate over those achingly long lines has turned political. Some Democratic leaders contend the bill intentionally slowed down a process that has historically benefited the party.
''They were using their power, their majority, to make it harder for people to vote, to gain a political advantage,'' said House Minority Leader Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach. "It was horrible.''
Republicans dispute any political motives, saying the new rules set much-needed uniform standards while saving government money by trimming polling times.
...While absentee ballots, especially in Florida with its large military presence, tend to favor Republicans, early voting has largely benefited Democrats. Early voting figures across Florida show that of the 153,000 early votes cast throughout the state Monday, almost 56 percent were from Democrats, 29 percent from Republicans and 15 percent from others, according to the Florida Democratic Party.
Nearly a quarter of the Democratic votes were cast in Broward, Miami-Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Orange counties, the report said.
There were long lines everywhere Monday and Tuesday, with many places giving voters a number to wait their turn, as if in a store line that stretched for blocks outside
and so it goes and the fix is in or so the Republicans hope,
GORD.
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