So let's begin with a revealing commentary by Keith Olbermann about " Socialist" Sarah Palin :
Olbermann: Sarah Palin Is A Socialist at Huffington Post oct. 28, 2008
In a Special Campaign Comment, Keith Olbermann cites yet another example of the McCain campaign accusing Barack Obama of something of which they themselves are guilty. In this case, Sarah Palin is accusing Barack Obama of advocating socialism when she literally used that word to describe the collective wealth sharing in her home state of Alaska.
Watch:
Anyway as some are claiming that Obama will win the US Presidential election and possibly by a landslide others caution that the Republican election machine is still at work using any means possible to rig the election in their favor. The Republicans will use the Race Card but also are trying to paint Obama as a " socialist" or even " Communist " & will use whatever smear they can to defeat Obama. But the Republicans with the help of the Bush Regime are also out to disqualify as many votes as they can to ensure that they win. The Republicans it appears believe that as a party they are entitled to rule America into the forseeable future . The Democrats the Republicans claim are not as patriotic or as loyal to basic American principles.
To begin here's a commentary by way of The Real News Network on election fraud . The accusations against ACORN are exaggerated and these accusations are being used to discount several million legally registered voters . These accusations are going unchallenged in the Mass Media as McCain makes these outrageous and unfounded claims to heighten fear and hysteria inorder to shift the attention of America's citizens away from the real and present danger of the Republican Election " Dirty Tricks " operatives.
US elections- Is the fox guarding the henhouse?
More at http://therealnews.com/c.ph...Spencer Overton: Claims about fraud will block thousands of innocent voters
Yes ,Even Iraq has a more transparent Election process . In Iraq there is an independent body that oversees the elections.
MORE DIRTY TRICKS once again Robert F. Kennedy jr. is sounding the alarm that the Republicans are trying to steal this election by the mainstream media is either complicit or unable to believe the Republicans would go so far . Or is the Mainstream Media all too willing to believe that a black Democrat is capable of anything while McCain Bush Palin and the Good Old Boys are surely innocent . Is the media in on the Fix . We'll know in a weeks time . Either Mccain will win and the Media will explain it all based on various analysis and even stats and pie-charts and Poer Point Presentations as they did in 2000 and 2004 . If Obama wins it in all likelihood will be by a slim margin explained away in the same manner and adding the so-called Bradley effect and other nonsense as they bring on their apologists with Phds in Political Pseudo-scientific analysis and the people will go back to watch " Dancing with the Stars " and other fluff manufactured for a fascist style regime.:
(My comments are in Bold typeface )
Drinking the ACORN Kool-Aid: How Cries of Voter Fraud Cover Up GOP Elections TheftHYPERLINK "/robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-greg-palast"Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast, October 28, 2008
Virtually the entire mainstream electronic media drank ACORN Kool-Aid this month brewed up by the Republican National Committee. Almost no one seriously challenged John McCain's comical assertions that ACORN, a grassroots voter registration group, "is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy."
While the Republicans had the distracted media searching for links between Obama and ACORN, RNC operatives were busily completing one of the most massive voter suppression and purging efforts in American history, stealing hundreds of thousands of Democratic votes across the embattled swing states and striving to arrange chaos and endless lines at the voting booths next week.
First the facts about ACORN. Months ago, we obtained, as part of our investigation for Rolling Stone magazine, the Republican's list the GOP alleged were the very worst cases of vote and registration fraud by ACORN and similar groups. We went through the names the GOP asserted were "obviously, undeniably and clearly fraudulent" voter registrations.
First, there was Melissa Tais, a dubious ACORN registrant. Her two voter registration forms show, admittedly, suspiciously different signatures. Republicans suggested Melissa was part of a massive fraud to allow Democrats to vote twice.
They were wrong. Ms. Tais, a Cerrillos, New Mexico, waitress, told us she had signed one form on a table and one form holding the paper in her hand. Hence, a second, wobbly signature.
Then there was Patricia White, who Republicans claimed was a fictitious voter. When we filmed her at home in Albuquerque, she seemed real enough.
And so on, through the entire GOP list -- not one fraud. And these were their best cases out of the five million "illegal voters" who Republican leaders claim have infiltrated America's voting rolls.
The overblown histrionics about ACORN do not surprise those of us who have been watching the RNC's election manipulation antics. For eight years White House operatives have been trying to gin up press stories about voter fraud. David Iglesias of New Mexico was one of seven U.S. Attorneys fired by the White House for their refusal to bring voter fraud prosecutions. "We took over 100 complaints," from the GOP, he told us, "We investigated for almost 2 years, I didn't find one prosecutable voter fraud case in the entire state of New Mexico."
Iglesias, a McCain supporter, has, for the first time, leveled a new and serious charge: Despite finding none of the 200 voters guilty, he says the White House nevertheless ordered him to illegally prosecute baseless cases against innocent citizens, just to gin up voter fraud publicity. His refusal, he says, cost him his job. "They were looking for politicized -- for improperly politicized US attorneys to file bogus voter fraud cases."
Meanwhile as Kennedy & Palast point out the greatest fraud has been carried out by the Republican Party in past elections and has been doing so throughout this election cycle:
In 2004, highly organized GOP tacticians helped disenfranchise no less than 2.7 million American voters. Almost a million of them were African Americans. The The Federal Elections Commission has found black voters were nine times more likely to have their votes discarded than white voters and that over one-third of the million provisional ballots cast in 2004 -- ballots handed disproportionately to African Americans -- were never counted but simply thrown into dumpsters.
In a technique known as "caging" RNC operatives send millions of first class letters to black voters across the country marked 'do not forward.' Republican operatives armed with lists then invade black precincts on Election Day to challenge those voters whose letters were returned to the RNC because the voter was not home when the mail arrived. That tactic deliberately targeted black students on vacation in August, homeless men and soldiers posted overseas. "Caging" is resurrecting Old Dixie's Jim Crow procedures designed to rid the lists of black voters and create long lines in black precincts
and even the Supreme Court can not stand in the way of Bush & Republican operatives:
Despite a recent Supreme Court decision upholding Ohio's refusal to disenfranchise 200,000 legitimate voters based on this absurd demand to "match" voter names to databases, White House operatives are still fighting to purge these names from the rolls. President George Bush last week personally asked his Attorney General Mike Mukasey to renew Republican efforts to disenfranchise these voters.
and the writers advise voters to take steps to ensure their votes are counted:
They're stealing your vote, but you can steal it back. Here are some steps you should take to protect your vote. First, avoid the November 4th minefield. Voters, wherever possible, should vote early and in person. Where feasible, avoid mailing in your ballot, many are rejected for flimsy reasons, and first time voters in many states must include a photocopy of ID. However, if you have a mail-in ballot, don't throw it away. Follow directions, use the correct postage (that's an error that cost a hundred thousand votes last time) and, if possible, walk it in to your elections office.
At the polling station, should you find yourself one of the 2.7 million purged, or your ID rejected, then do your best to resist a "provisional" ballot--one third of which are not counted. Return with proper ID, or call 1-866-OUR VOTE for legal assistance. And never just walk away discouraged. That's just what they want you to do.
As writer Sam Stein points out the Republicans have also reverted to using old style dirty tricks to keep voter turnout low which would help the Republican Party.
As Election Nears, Dirty Tricks Grow More Common at Huffington Post, by Sam Stein oct. 28, 2008
As the election nears, examples of political dirty tricks are emerging with greater frequency.
On Tuesday, the Virginia Pilot reported that a phony Board of Elections flier was circulating the state "advising Republicans to vote on Nov. 4 and Democrats on Nov. 5." Voting, of course, is on the 4th only, creating fear among neutral observers and the Obama campaign that people were simply going to miss the opportunity to go to the polls.
Earlier this month, meanwhile, an anonymous flier was circulating in predominantly African-American neighborhoods in Philadelphia telling voters they could be arrested at the polls if they show up to vote with outstanding arrest warrants or unpaid parking tickets. This is also untrue.
also see article which questions that Obam's winning the election may not be a slam dunk for reasons of Bush tampering with votes or the " race Factor" or some new earth shaking crisis or smear that works against Obama and that the race itself is too close to call so BE AFRAID Palin/McCain may still win and the world will be shocked at how foolish or stupid Americans actually are:
Obama Is Dominating in the Polls, but Four Things Keep Me Awake at Night by Mitchell Bard, oct. 28, 2008 at Huffington Post
The Bush Regime has been tampering with the department of Justice & other departments for years in illegal and unethical ways to get the results they want whether in elections or in trials of GITMO detainees.
Corrupt and unethical behavior Unbecoming of an officer in the US Military - Is anyone really surprised - Bush Regime has been playing fast and loose with the US Constitution & The Bill of Rights so who can blame a General for doing the same with Military Criminal Trials which have been a farce since 9/11
Military Probing Abuse of Power by Top Gitmo Brass Posted by Steve Czajkowski, Jurist Legal News and Research October 27, 2008.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann is being investigated for inappropriately seeking to influence the military commissions trials.
[JURIST] The U.S. Air Force is conducting an ethics investigation of Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann over allegations that he abused his power and inappropriately influenced the prosecution of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay, military officials said Saturday. Hartmann was the legal advisor to the U.S. military commissions at Guantanamo and supervisor of the Office of Military Commissions-Prosecution (OMC-P) until he was reassigned to the position of director of operations of the Office of Military Commissions last month. It has been alleged that Hartmann forced officials at Guantanamo to bring prosecution cases before they were ready, prosecuted an individual on charges that were unwarranted, and that he tried to get prosecutors to use coerced evidence notwithstanding their objections. The Air Force is also investigating complaints by two military officials that Hartmann exhibited abusive and retaliatory behavior towards them within the Office of Military Commissions. The Los Angeles Times has more. AP has additional coverage.
Earlier this year military judges presiding over the trials of Guantanamo detainees Omar Khadr, Mohammed Jawad and Salim Ahmed Hamdan barred Hartmann from taking any part in the trials of those detainees on grounds that he was unduly biased towards the prosecution. U.S. Army Gen. Gregory Zanetti, deputy commander at Guantanamo Bay, testified in August that Hartmann routinely bullied his counterparts and was inappropriately aggressive in seeking indictments against detainees. In October, newly resigned Guantanamo chief military prosecutor Col. Morris Davis said during his tenure Hartmann questioned the need for open trials and was upset with the slow pace of the proceedings begun by Davis.
-------
And from the Los Angeles Times on how Pentagon/ Bush appointee has been interferring & rigging legal cases at GITMO. This is not surprising given the Bush/Cheney Regime's record and it cavalier attitude towards the US Constitution and the US Bill of Rights which they see as old fashioned types of theinking in the hysteria induced world post 9/11. Basic human rights such as the right to a fair and speedy trial along with full disclosure. Instead these trials are anything but fair and are considered by the Bush Regime a mere formality in dealing with detainees they claim are guilty. But if no trials are needed for " Terrorist Suspects " then why hold trials for Americans accused of other crimes. As the ultra Conservatives would prefer to get rid of the whole "liberal" Justice system which merely coddles criminals. What Ultra-conservatives pine for is the good old days when " Lynching " was allowed. They also see nothing wrong with abusing and torturing detainees or other accused criminals.Entering into a long uncertain trials is not as satisfying to many Americans as just a good old " Summary Execution" of someone accused of a murder or rape or drug selling or terrorism.
(bold typeface my comments)
Los Angeles Times Guantanamo tribunals overseer under investigation By Josh Meyer October 25, 2008
Reporting from Washington -- A Pentagon official overseeing the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals is the subject of two investigations into his conduct, including one wide-ranging ethics examination into whether he abused his power and improperly influenced the prosecutions of enemy combatants.
An internal Air Force investigation into the activities of Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann appears to be the more significant of the two probes because it was launched only after a preliminary inquiry found sufficient grounds to move forward, military officials said
--And if the allegations are true they will have a far wider consequence--
...The investigations will further undermine the credibility of the tribunals just as some of the most high-profile cases -- including the trial of five men alleged to have helped plot Sept. 11 -- are getting underway, according to some military defense lawyers at Guantanamo, former prosecutors who have quit in protest and human rights officials.
The investigations will "cast doubt on all of the decisions that have been taken under his tenure," said Hina Shamsi, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union and an officially designated trial observer at Guantanamo.
Hartmann, 63, was the legal advisor to the administrator of the tribunals until last month, when he was given the newly created position of director of operations, planning and development for military commissions.
The chief counsel to Connecticut-based MXenergy Holdings Inc. and an Air Force reservist with experience as a military prosecutor, he was called up for active duty in July 2007 specifically for the Guantanamo post.
and there had been doubts raised about Hartman's role in the tribunals early on :& raises questions about the Pentagon's role and those further up the chain of command but will the American public give a damn or is the idea of the rule of law just an old-fashioned quaint pre-9/11 ideal of a by-gone era. Its odd how conservative in America like to talk about some long gone Golden Era yet when it suits them they toss out all of the basic democratic principles of a free society in order to find detainees guilty as charged even if they are innocent and why just to protect George Bush Cheney and their cronies?
Hartmann's dual legal role at Guantanamo was controversial from the beginning.
He was responsible for providing legal advice to the war crimes administrator, known as the convening authority, who must make impartial rulings on issues raised by both the prosecution and defense. Hartmann was also responsible for supervising the prosecution of enemy combatants, but not personally intervening in the work of the prosecutors.
But three Guantanamo judges since May have barred Hartmann from serving as legal advisor in their cases, after supporting at least a portion of defense claims that he exerted "unlawful influence."
Air Force Col. Morris D. Davis, who resigned as chief Guantanamo prosecutor in October 2007 after frequent clashes with Hartmann, said that "full, fair and open trials were not possible under the system," and that it had become deeply politicized under the hard-charging general.
He and others said Friday that they welcome the investigation, because the Pentagon has, for the most part, skirted the issue of whether Hartmann undermined the tribunal process by repeatedly overstepping his legal authority and improperly meddling in cases.
Davis and a military defense lawyer told The Times that they have been interviewed at length by the probe's chief investigator, Air Force Brig. Gen. Steven J. Lepper, about a wide range of issues involving Hartmann's conduct.
In his interview, Davis said, he told Lepper that Hartmann "grossly exceeded his role as a neutral and independent and impartial legal advisor."
At least three other prosecutors quit the tribunals in recent years, claiming improper political meddling and other inappropriate behavior by Hartmann and others that they believe stacked the deck against defendants there.
And on the issue of torture... Canadians should not appear too smug in criticizing the US. Human rights and the legal issues surrounding detainees under Stephen Harper have raised a number of questions about our policies on these issues. Stephen Harper like his mentor George Bush plays fast and loose with such concepts as Human Rights or what constitutes torture and how to apply the Geneva Conventions and other international agreements. In the end Harper & the Conservatives have their own self-serving attitude towards the Geneva Conventions and human rights such as we see in this recent CBC report. It once again is falsely argued by the Conservatives and many Canadians that one our Country & our goverment our RCMP or our military are not responsible for torture of individuals if Canadian officals or Canadian military personnel didn't do the actual torturing. The Geneva Conventions says that a country is culpable if individuals are tortured if it is believed that the country they are handed over to torture detainees. The same goes I believe to handing over detainees to US Forces or to Afghanistan foces whom we know routinely torture detainees.
Canadian Officials Directly Responsibile For Torture! Again!
http://cspanjunkie.org/
October 21, 2008 CBC
and so it goes,
GORD.
No comments:
Post a Comment