Ohio- I don't think so!!!!
Wed Nov 03, 2004 at 02:39:51 AM PDT
The media hacks have made an obvious effort to throw this election to W.
The votes should be counted, damnit.
Time to express your outrage, peeps, 'cause otherwise you won't be having any opportunities, and your voice will go unheard!
FL + OH = thievery.
It's time we insist on paper ballots, like the rest of the third world. Machines without paper trails make us slaves.
Ohio 2004: Florida Redux?
Mon Sep 27, 2004 at 02:32:26 PM PDT
All right, people.
This shit is not funny.
"The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.
O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington.
The letter went out the day before OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE KEN BLACKWELL, also a Republican, was set to qualify Diebold as one of three firms eligible to sell upgraded electronic voting machines to Ohio counties in time for the 2004 election."
(Snip)
The Republicans will stop at nothing to win Ohio this year. We are talking about large scale Florida-style disenfranchisement and voter fraud. It is my sincere belief that the very future of democracy is at stake in Ohio this election.
We have one advantage this year in that these facts are known BEFORE the election. We can coordinate a response to these GOP dirty tricks. We need election monitors and media coverage at all major polling places. We need people filming vote tallies with videocameras as the numbers are entered into Diebold's database so that we have irrefutable PROOF that the software has been hacked as it was in Florida. And most importantly, we need to make people aware of exactly what is going on. We need to make sure that people who have registered to vote are allowed to vote and we have to make sure their votes are counted. We need to write letters to editors, e-mail media outlets and journalists, and get people off their asses before this election is stolen. John Kerry and John Edwards need to loudly and publicly address this issue.
We need to fight back. The backlash to this blatant fraud could very well win us Ohio and the election.
New B-Boys album is SLAMMIN'!
Mon Jun 21, 2004 at 02:32:56 PM PDT
Just picked it up today. I was hoping there would be some good political tracks (or tracts, if you will), and I am not disappointed. My favorite is #4, It Takes Time to Build. Hunted down these lyrics on the net:
If you don't like the news then press eject
Baby Davis getting older can't take a rain check
It's time to let'em know what we expect
Stop building SUV's strung out on OPEC
Hold up wait up you know we come correct
You wanna change things up, well hey just get set
It's easier to sit back than stick out your neck
It's easier to break things than build it correct
We've got a president we didn't elect
The Kyoto treaty he decided to neglect
And still the US just wants to flex
Keep doin' that wop we gonna break our necks
It takes a second to wreck it
It takes time to build
You gots to chill
Hate filled people wanna keep us in check
Tearin' down each other is what they expect
If you want love well hey that's a bet
We've got to give before we can get
Waiting like a batter who is on deck
When it's time to wreck shop then shop I'll wreck
So let's calibrate and check our specs
We need a little shift on over towards the left
I don't really know but I suspect
I think it's due time that we inspect
How they get their information and their facts are checked
Another press conference someone's talking out their neck
It takes a second to wreck it
It takes time to build
You gots to chill
So step up to the window and place your bets
Is the US gonna keep breaking necks
Maybe it's time that we impeach Tex
And the military muscle that he wants to flex
By the time Bush is done what will be left
Selling votes like E-pills at the discotheque
Environmental destruction and the national debt
But plenty of dollars left in the fat war chest
What the real deal why you can't connect
Why you hating people that you never met
Didn't your mama teach you to show some respect?
Why not open your mind for a sec?
It takes a second to wreck it
It takes time to build
You gots to chill
What's Going on in NH?
Thu Jun 10, 2004 at 11:28:09 PM PDT
Has anyone heard confirmation of Burt Cohen's withdrawal?
Politicsnh.com is the only source that reports his withdrawal.
What the heck is going on?
Consider this an open thread.
New Hampshire Senate Poll
Thu Jun 10, 2004 at 05:02:41 PM PDT
Burt Cohen just dropped out. We have one day to meet the filing deadline for this seat. Thanks to dKossack ScottPaul for this list of candidates with statewide name recognition:
Lou D'Allesandro (D)
Manchester, state Senator
The moderate Democratic State Senator has proven himself a good fundraiser.
Dick Swett (D)
Bow, former US Congressman
Swett lost to Republican Bob Smith in 1996 for US Senate. Swett has deep fundraising connections and state-wide name id.
Bill Shaheen (D)
Madbury, outgoing First-Man of NH
The former Governor's husband is bright, articulate, has his own national connections and his wife is the most popular NH Democrat in decades.
Jeanne Shaheen (D)
Madbury, outgoing Governor
The outgoing Democratic Governor is still the most popular candidate the Democrats can put up. Note: she would have to quit working for the Kerry campaign in order to run.
Peter Burling (D)
Cornish, House minority leader
The Democratic Minority Leader is a candidate to move up to higher office every year. One of these years, he will.
Sorry if this is scant on details, but I don't want to see this seat uncontested. Take the poll.
The Zapata Connection
Tue Jun 08, 2004 at 06:02:56 PM PDT
If George W. Bush claims to find WMD in Iraq before the election, remember this contract: DACA87-00-D-0034, Task Order 0017, awarded to Zapata Engineering of Charlotte, NC. This $3.8 million contract, which you can find
here , expires September 30, 2004 and was issued "for the purpose of performing work... for Engineering Support Activities of Corps of Engineers for Liaison Officer and Program Manager of Captured Enemy Ammunition in various areas of Iraq..."
Among the Specific Services offered in this contract are the following:
- 1 Task 1- Liaison Officer (LNO)
- 1.1 The LNO shall provide policy guidance and leadership for the Iraqi CEA [Captured Enemy Ammunition] Forward Team. He/she will manage the work of the Iraqi CEA Forward Team Operations. He/she will plan, coordinate, evaluate and review all phases of the CEA Operations.
- 1.2 The LNO shall serve as an Army staff element representing the Corps of Engineers (COE) with the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF).
- 1.3 The LNO shall be able to obtain or shall have a secret clearance.
- 1.4 The LNO shall be the liaison with the forward Government Program Manager or the Chief of International Operations.
- 1.5 The LNO shall advise and represent the COE Ordnance and Explosives (OE) interests, including but not limited to technology, production processes, and transition of the work to the Iraqi nationals.
Now here is the interesting part. Long before George H.W. Bush went into politics, he was the CEO and part-time investor relations officer of (you guessed it) Zapata. According to The Prize, by Daniel Yergin, a definitive history of the oil industry since its inception, "Eventually, the partners amicably split Zapata in two, and Bush took the offshore oil services side of the business, making it one of the pioneers and leaders in the dynamic development of offshore drilling and production in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world.... His associates from his Midland days remained among his closest friends thereafter."
Keep your eyes peeled, folks, and don't be surprised if George W's family connections to Zapata lead to the "discovery" of WMD in Iraq on or around September 30 this year. You heard it here first.
Coming next: Criminals Past, Criminals Present- Some Things Never Change
The Bush-Cheney Drug Empire
Mon Jun 07, 2004 at 06:29:30 PM PDT
This is an absolutely fascinating article that was published BEFORE George W. was "elected" in 2000. I found it on
From the Wilderness
It is a long read, but well worth the effort:
"Halliburton Corporation's Brown and Root is one of the major components of the Bush-Cheney drug empire"
by Michael C. Ruppert, © Copyright 2000, Michael C. Ruppert and "From The Wilderness" Publications All Rights Reserved. - Permission to reprint for non-profit only is hereby granted as long as proper sourcing appears. For all other permissions contact mruppert@copvcia.com.
-----------------------------------
FTW October 24, 2000 - The success of Bush Vice Presidential running mate Richard Cheney at leading Halliburton, Inc. to a five year $3.8 billion "pig-out" on federal contracts and taxpayer-insured loans is only a partial indicator of what may happen if the Bush ticket wins in two weeks. A closer look at available research, including an August 2, 2000 report by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) at www.public-i.org, suggests that drug money has played a role in the successes achieved by Halliburton under Cheney's tenure as CEO from 1995 to 2000. This is especially true for Halliburton's most famous subsidiary, heavy construction and oil giant, Brown and Root. A deeper look into history reveals that Brown and Root's past as well as the past of Dick Cheney himself, connect to the international drug trade on more than one occasion and in more than one way.
The Blogosphere Rocks HARD!!!
Wed Jun 02, 2004 at 01:50:25 AM PDT
With 200,000 hits on dKos today, I would not be surprised if blogs soon start getting taken seriously by the mainstream media.
At some point blogs will probably receive ratings just like sitcoms, sporting events, and the network news on TV.
The efforts of DailyKos readers almost certainly provided the margin of victory for Stephanie Herseth tonight. It took generous contributions of time and money to get to this point.
This is just the beginning of a sustained effort to take back Congress and the Presidency in November.
I do believe we shall overcome some day.
Torture, Rape, Murder, and Moral Clarity
Thu May 06, 2004 at 05:28:58 PM PDT
George Bush and his administration have managed to squander any goodwill the international community might have felt towards the U.S. and have tarnished the country's reputation for generations to come. But what upsets me more is the fact that Bush is a morally bankrupt hypocrite.
Draft This!
Fri Apr 30, 2004 at 05:19:03 PM PDT
"Draft This!"
The president lied
The president lied
My poor mother cried
Her eldest boy died.
The president lied
With arrogant pride
For "the good of the country"
My big brother died.
The president lied
And a young soldier died
He got shot on a bridge
With his eyes open'd wide
They buried his casket
On the Fourth of July
They gave a fresh flag
To his newlywed bride.
Played taps on a bugle,
Fired shots by her side
But they rang a bit hollow
`Cause the president lied.
The president lied
And shameless did hide
In the heart of his mansion
`Til the storm did subside
Yet the tide never turned
The gulf was too wide
So he started a draft;
I could no longer hide.
My poor mother cried
When her eldest boy died
Now I'm off to Iraq
`Cause the president lied.
©2004 Andrew Sanford
Permission to reprint:
skunky_wazoo@yahoo.com
Troubling Questions Linger from 9/11
Tue Mar 16, 2004 at 12:54:57 AM PDT
Ties between the Bush and Bin Laden families go back a long way. Both owned millions of dollars of stock in the Carlyle Group, the defense consulting corporation that brokers deals between the U.S. military-industrial complex and foreign governments. Bush Sr. was the head of the CIA when Osama Bin Laden was on its payroll in Afghanistan. On 9/13/2001, when all flights in U.S. airspace were grounded, George W. Bush allowed a plane full of Bin Laden's relatives and members of the Saudi royal family to leave the country without any questioning by U.S. intelligence agencies. Why was this allowed to happen? Why has George W. Bush stonewalled the 9/11 commission? And what happened to Flight 93, the fourth plane hijacked on 9/11 that crashed in the middle of a field in rural Pennsylvania? These are compelling questions to which we should rightly demand answers.
An excerpt from Gail Sheehy's February 16 article in the New York Observer sheds some light on Flight 93:
Kerry and Civil Liberties
Tue Mar 02, 2004 at 08:46:44 PM PDT
I wrote to the Kerry campaign expressing my concerns about subpoenas issued by the Justice Department in an attempt to silence Drake University anti-war protestors who were legitimately exercising their First Amendment right to freedom of expression.
The Bush administration, clearly fearing a backlash from this blatant crackdown on civil liberties, has since withdrawn the subpoenas.
What follows is the Kerry campaign's response to my letter. I should note for the sake of clarity that my letter also referred to the Bush administration's abuses of the Patriot Act, which was not invoked in the Drake University incident. (The FBI's Anti-Terrorism Task Force was involved, although it is still unclear to me what legal pretense was used to issue the subpoenas.)
Further info at the following links:
Original dKos story
Catholic Peace Ministry Subpoena Issued
Des Moines Register Article
Drake University Campus Newspaper Article
Better AZ link
Tue Feb 03, 2004 at 11:29:28 PM PDT
Here is a better link for Arizona results.
CNN already called it for Kerry, with 0% reporting... Go figure.
Results from other states Here
Speculation on a 3-Way Presidential Race
Sun Feb 01, 2004 at 06:42:41 PM PDT
I've been thinking a lot about 1992 and the dynamics of a presidential race shaken up by a viable third party candidate. In 1992 we were victorious against Bush Sr. with less than 50% of the popular vote because Perot stole votes from moderate Republicans and independents and the Dem. base was thirsty for victory after 12 years of Republican rule in the Oval Office.
Has Bush has moved so far to the right that a centrist independent could peel away moderate votes from the GOP, allowing us to take back the White House?
Wesley Clark voted for Reagan, Bush, and Bush. Senator Jeffords of Vt. pulled out of the GOP and turned independent because Bush alienated the Rethug center. There is fertile ground in the center of the political spectrum for a third party ticket.
A three-way race would increase voter turnout, which has historically worked to the advantage of Democratic candidates.
Bush/Cheney vs. Clark/Jeffords vs. Democratic ticket? Now that would be an interesting scenario... and Karl Rove's worst nightmare.
Tauzin's Congressionional Seat
Sat Jan 31, 2004 at 07:13:10 PM PDT
NYT reported today that Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana is considering giving up his Congressional seat to go work in the film or pharmaceutical industry. Can we pick up this symbolic seat if he decides not to run? Discussion below.
Two New Polls Out
Wed Dec 10, 2003 at 07:24:21 PM PDT
Quinnipiac has released the results of its latest national poll:
Dean 22
Liebrman 13
Clark 12
Gephardt 9
Sharpton 8
Kerry 8
Edwards 5
Braun 3
Kucinich 2
Undecided 18
MOE +- 5%
and here is a new Pennsylvania poll from Morning Call/Muhlenberg College Institute:
Dean 19%
Lieberman 12%
Clark 10%
Kerry 10%
Gephardt 6%
Braun 3%
Sharpton 3%
Kucinich 2%
Edwards 0%
Other 4%
Undecided 31%
MOE +
- 7.1%
Dean and the Corporate Media
Wed Dec 10, 2003 at 07:22:34 AM PDT
WaPo, NYT, etc. have been ambivalent, skeptical, and downright critical of Howard Dean ever since he emerged as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. I think Dean's grassroots populism scares the heck out of the corporate media because they have been been bending over backward to publish Bush's neo-con propaganda for the last three years. I admire Dean's ability to question GWB's cronyism and corporate governance and the fact that his campaign has collected most of its money from small donors. He is adding new vigor to the democratic process in an era corrupted by Big Money. No other candidate has the clout to address the main issue at stake in this election: the future of American democracy in a world that changed course dramatically after GWB stole the 2000 election. This country will either embrace Dean's politics of inclusion and progressive change or succumb to Bush's back-to-the-future, divide-and-conquer tactics. A fresh chapter of American political history is being written right now, and I think Dean represents a bold new era of people power. It's time for people to unify and make a stand, to change the present and create a positive future. Whether the media realizes it yet or not, Howard Dean is the voice of the future.
