Vice President John Edwards asked this question in a Yahoo group since he is addressing the issue. What to do about poverty?
Here’s a short list: effective computerization so anyone can make money with an on line business; clean, free energy; and apply common sense to health care.
We have been looking at poverty all wrong. There is a poverty of sickness, a poverty of financial lack, a poverty of sorrow and a poverty of pollution to mention a few. Poverty is a lack and the solution is to create an adequate if not abundant supply of what is needed. As we address the big picture, each element can develop specific solutions to the problems at hand.
1. EFFECTIVE COMPUTERIZATION
The basic shift from the Industrial Age to the Information Age is done. This shift carries with it a benefit of empowering individuals. Second hand information in the Information Age is the new slavery. Those who have to go to another to get their daily data many times find that it is old news by the time they get it, if they get it.
The next step in solving the problem of poverty is to adequately computerize the population, or as the jargon goes ‘bridge the digital divide.’ In the 90's I trained over 3,000 people for free in Harlem HOW TO COMPUTE. Many got jobs, went back to school and created deeper connections within their family and community.
From my paper on how to bridge the digital divide :
A. Encourage banks to set up “Cyber Clubs”, much like the old “Christmas Clubs” where people can make deposits into an account for future technology purchases. As an alternative to giving a child a game or a $200 pair of sneakers for a gift, take that money and deposit it into the account. These clubs can make group purchases during July 4th and Dr. King’s Birthday weekends offering additional buying incentives based on volume discount buying. They can also keep people informed of the newest, latest and most effective equipment and programs to purchase. Financial management, i.e. “computer banking” computer user groups can be formed to use the technology to enrich the community.
B. Provide incentives for community organizations to offer free computer training to their membership. Teach the basics necessary to write letters, get on and use the web, balance a budget or record one’s family tree. Trainers can be available on line with e-mail correspondence.
C. Encourage small business growth. With a computer, whatever one does best, they can do as a business. For example, if someone braids hair, show them how their computer can keep their books, appointments, send out customer mailings, encourage word of mouth, file taxes, etc. Sales development clubs, on the web and off, can also encourage economic growth. These clubs can reach beyond national borders. Also, auto responder book sales and other residual income sites can be established.
D. Hold more and targeted local, state and national and international “town meetings” on the web with elected and appointed officials answering questions and listening to solutions from constituents. Network ideas with resources and people to accomplish the mission of safe, effective computerization for all who want it.
E. Provide additional tax and financing incentives to open computer stores, training centers, wherever. It’s not just low-income people who need access and training. We all do. I still can’t believe the many times I heard “I never thought I would ever be able to use a computer,” or “I’ve never even touched a mouse.”
F. Encourage intelligent, cross cultural-religious-economic-racial-gender, etc. computer use. With computers we see the quality of one’s ideas before we see the body they are in or the lifestyle they live. The opportunity to build bridges is to great to ignore.
G. Encourage non-violent conflict resolution through a computer. It’s tough to use a computer and a gun at the same time. Also arguments over modems cause less violence.
H. Promote the joy of computing.
I. Ask computer companies to stop red-lining inner cities.
I’m updating my free 10 week computer training I used in Harlem in the 90’s for PC/Windows/Word 2000 and 2003 with links to other free on line trainings for other Microsoft programs. The work is just about complete.
2. DEVELOP AND MAKE CLEAN FREE ENERGY ALTERNATIVES
When Bruce DePalma (inventor of the magnet based N-machine which works with a Faraday Motor to create free energy) died in '97 he was at a point where he proved what Tesla was talking about with magnet based energy.
"It is characteristic of fundamental discoveries, of great achievements of the intellect, that they retain an undiminished power upon the imagination of the thinker. The memorable experiment of Faraday with a disc rotating between two poles of a magnet, which has borne such magnificent fruit, has long passed into every-day experience; yet there are certain features about this embryo of the present dynamos and motors which even today appear to us striking, and are worthy of the most careful study."
- Nicola Tesla, 1891, New York City, New York
The folks who created the plane that broke the sound barrier said they did so because they knew that a bullet does it all the time. One of the creators recently said on the program Discover that all they had to do was adjust the spin and drag on the plane and it could be done. DePalma was in the process of adjusting the spin and drag on his N Machine when he died. The super collider got funded while DePalma got ignored.
There are many "poor" folks who could finish that work off, but it's been impossible to get past the oil interests for funding. It’s time to change the energy agenda. Free, clean energy would remove not only the financial burden from folks to keep warm and move around, but would also help with environmentally induced diseases like asthma. I have just completed an e-book of his writings .
There are other clean energy alternatives, some listed with links on my Peak Oil page.
3. APPLY COMMON SENSE TO HEALTH CARE BY HELPING FOLKS GET AND/OR STAY WELL
Our entire conversation about health care is how to pay the doctors and insurance companies. We need to empower folks more regarding healing and better yet, not getting sick.
For example, there is a book Dressed To Kill by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer that speaks in detail about the connection between bras and breast cancer.
From the Amazon piece on the book:
"When Soma and I did our research for Dressed To Kill we were not aware of how easily women can recover from fibrocystic breast disease by foregoing the bra. Bras, by their very design, alter the shape of the breasts for fashion. To alter breast shape you have to apply constant pressure on the breast tissue. That is why bras are elastic garments. This pressure from the bra impedes the circulation in the breast tissue, specifically, the circulation of the lymphatic system. This system is composed of microscopic vessels that originate in the breast tissue and drain the tissue of fluid, which is directed through these vessels to the lymph nodes. The lymphatic vessels are extremely thin and small, and have no pump, such as the heart, to propel its contents forward. As a result, lymphatic vessels are easily constricted by external pressure, such as that applied to the breast tissue constantly by the brassiere. It is compression of these lymph vessels that prevents the proper draining of the breast tissue, leading to fluid accumulation in the breast. Medically, this is called lymphedema of the breast, secondary to constriction from the bra. This fluid accumulation leads to breast tenderness and pain, and ultimately the fluid develops into cysts. The cysts over time become hard, and we have a picture of the creation of fibrocystic breast disease. Within days or weeks of ending breast constriction by bras, the breast tissue is allowed to flush out this excess fluid, cysts disappear, and breast pain and tenderness are minimal if at all present. From our research with hundreds of women, getting rid of the bra has resulted in remarkable recovery of breast health in over 95% of the cases. Since foregoing the bra for a month is cost-free and risk-free, and may prove beneficial, we encourage all women who wear bras to partake in a self-study to see for themselves, on themselves, whether their bras have been damaging their breasts. Keep in mind that breast disease is only a problem in bra wearing cultures. Women who are bra-free have the same breast cancer incidence as men. And don't wait for the cancer detection and treatment industry to endorse this information before you try it. Billions of dollars are made each year treating breast cancer. Nobody will make money by women loosening up to prevent this disease. The prevention of breast disease is up to each individual woman. Just stop binding the breasts with bras in the name of fashion, and begin to love yourself and respect your body."
I first heard about the study in the early 90's and took off my bra. I don't even own one anymore. I’m in my 50’s and don't have breast cancer.
Another example for how to reduce health care cost is AIDS.
Niro Markoff Asistent healed herself of HIV with ARC back in 1986. I just finished typing her out of print book on how she did it, WHY I SURVIVE AIDS so it can be available as an e-book. She healed herself with diet, removing stress, meditation, and other techniques. For example:
"Nadabrahma is based on an old Tibetan technique of humming through the nose, and it seems that the humming vibration has a twofold effect. First, it helps to focus your energy inwardly, and to stimulate your pineal gland – or open your ‘third eye,” as it is referred to by mystics. The third eye is located in the center of your inner vision to receive intuitive guidance from your higher power. Second, as I was later to discover, the humming technique massages the pituitary and thymus glands. The thymus gland monitors the production of T-cells and the pituitary gland monitors the elimination of toxins. Both glands are very important for the proper functioning of the immune system.
Sometime after my healing, I met two researchers who were studying the effects of massage on the pituitary and thymus glands. When I told them about the humming section of the Nadabrahma, they suggested that the sound vibration performs an inner massage on those vital glands. I now teach this meditation to all who participate in my workshops and private sessions."
Let’s not forget the Water Cure explained in the book BACK TO EDEN by Jethro Kloss.
Finally, the health drama of repetitive stress injuries is just plain stupid regarding computer use. When you support the forearms and lower the keyboard, carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries disappear because the cause, the stress and bent wrists, is removed. It took me 30 days for my extensive computer injuries to heal back in 1990. Fifteen years later, the injuries never returned, and I spend the vast majority of my time on my computers with my patented CompUrest.
Before George Bush stole the election before last, we were a free nation of great minds and spirits. Now folks are living in fear, stripped of the most basic of freedoms, like speech, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We can bootstrap ourselves to a peaceful, prosperous world with the right coordination. When I put a 92 year old woman at a computer with a 26 year old woman so together they could learn how to use a mouse, the synergy was awesome. Each had answers for the other. The magic is still in the people. We can be a great nation again.
We are overcoming now.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Monday, February 07, 2005
Bogus Ballots
Bogus - Counterfeit or fake; not genuine: bogus money; bogus tasks. Yahoo! Dictionary
Beware of folks who call the truth 'sour grapes' when it gets in the way of their agenda. Counterfeit or fake results were used to certify the 2004 election in Bush-Cheney’s favor.
George Bush, the current president of the United States of America is bogus. The State of the Union was bogus because the man elected president based on winning the highest number of qualified electoral votes was not giving the address. The Ohio election was so corrupt it should have been disqualified. That the Ohio vote was not disqualified speaks to the level of corruption in the U.S. federal government. The blessing is we learned which elected and appointed officials stand with the people, and which stand with the corrupt federal government.
The evidence is powerful enough that if the Black American victims of this vote fraud were White Americans, it would evoke a cry so loud that it would send a shutter down the spine of America.
As you will learn when you read the report submitted to congress about the election, Jim Crow is alive and well. There are pictures of him in Ohio. He’s seen in the average 4-5 hour lines much of the time outdoors in bad weather, to vote in Black Democratic communities while it took 10 minutes to vote in others.
Our shattered democracy is in need of healing.
Please, read the compelling material presented to congress challenging the Ohio electors titled PRESERVING DEMOCRACY: WHAT WENT WRONG IN OHIO, Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff. This 102 page report offers documentation on just how bad the system is broken and who is benefiting, using Ohio as an example. Share what you have learned and demand that your elected and appointed officials know that the people demand truth in the election process.
Preserving Democracy proves that there were so many voting problems in Ohio during the presidential election of 2004, it is impossible to get an accurate count. One person one vote is no longer how the president is chosen. The emperor is naked for all to see who choose to look at the evidence.
Preserving Democracy reveals many areas where the election in Ohio is seriously flawed: Conflicts of Interest; Voting Machine Placement – Pro Bush-Cheney; Spoiled Votes; Faulty Machines and Hanging Chads; Voter Intimidation and Mis-information; Disenfranchised Hundreds of Thousands of Ohio Citizens; Criminal Actions; and Computer Voting companies, Diebold and Triad, with ties to Bush-Cheney, castrating hundreds of thousands of votes.
Are we free or not? Does our vote count or not? Whose vote is slated to be stolen next? Like America learned while ignoring the CIA induced crack epidemic in the 1980’s, what happens in the Black community eventually makes it all through the country. Here’s a sampling of what you will learn in the report. I’ve kept footnote references in the quotes.
Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Bush Cheney Ohio campaign, J. Kenneth Blackwell - Or the voting referee is the captain of one of the playing teams.
1. Voting Machine Placement – Pro Bush-Cheney
“There was a wide discrepancy between the availability of voting machines in more minority, Democratic and urban areas as compared to more Republican, suburban and exurban areas. Even on election day, urban areas were hard pressed to receive the critical machines to respond to the ever lengthening lines. According to a Washington Post investigation, “in Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo, and on college campuses, election officials allocated far too few voting machines to busy precincts, with the result that voters stood on line as long as 10 hours – many leaving without voting.”79 Moreover, the Election Protection Coalition testified that more than half of the complaints about long lines they received “came from Columbus and Cleveland where a huge portion of the state’s Democratic voters live.” (page 24)
2. Spoiled Votes Faulty Machines and Hanging Chads
“Voters reported bizarre “glitches” in voting machines where votes for Senator Kerry were registered as votes for the President.6 The counting process was similarly chaotic and suspect.” (Page 8)
“We have received numerous reports of transfers of votes for Senator Kerry to votes for President Bush. Specifically, in Youngstown, the Washington Post reported that their investigation revealed 25 electronic machines transferred an unknown number of Kerry votes to the Bush column.229 Jeanne White, a veteran voter and manager at the Buckeye Review, an African American newspaper, stepped into the booth, pushed the button for Kerry – and watched her vote jump to the Bush column. “I saw what happened; I started screaming: ‘They’re cheating again and they’re starting early!”230 The Election Protection Coalition also confirmed these voting “glitches” noting that a “voter reported “Every time I tried to vote for the Democratic Party Presidential vote the machine went blank. I had to keep trying, it took 5 times” (page 52)
“Ohio had a significant number of spoiled votes – approximately 93,000.322 These are ballots in which either no presidential vote was recorded or multiple votes were indicated and therefore ignored. For example, someone may not have filled in his presidential choice dark enough for an optical scan machine to read, but did fill it in clearly enough to be a valid selection in a hand count.323 In addition, a punch card voter may not have punched completely through his choice, leaving a “chad” attached that could not be read by the tabulator. However, that same chad could be read in a hand count because Ohio law provides that hanging chads may be considered valid votes as long as two corners are detached.324
According to a New York Times investigation, “the problem [with spoiled ballots] was pronounced in minority areas, typically Kerry strongholds. In Cleveland ZIP codes where at least 85% of the population is black, precinct results show that one in 31 ballots registered no vote for president, more than twice the rate of largely white ZIP codes where one in 75 registered no vote for president. Election officials say that nearly 77,000 of the 96,000 [spoiled] ballots were punch cards.”325
One of the principal purposes of the recount in Ohio was to ascertain the intent of these 93,000 ballots. However, by manipulation or otherwise every county in Ohio but Coshocton County avoided completing a full hand recount. This means that the vast majority of these spoiled ballots will never be reviewed.” (page 70)
3. Voter Intimidation and Mis-information
Numerous incidents of voter intimidation and misinformation engaged in Ohio on election day likely violate the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1968, and the Ohio right to vote. Mr. Blackwell’s apparent failure to institute a single investigation into these acts likely represents a violation of his statutory duty to investigate election misconduct.” (page 99)
4. Disenfranchised Hundreds of Thousands of Ohio Citizens
“With regards to our factual finding, in brief, we find that there were massive and unprecedented voter irregularities and anomalies in Ohio. In many cases these irregularities were caused by intentional misconduct and illegal behavior, much of it involving Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, the co-chair of the Bush-Cheney campaign in Ohio. First, in the run up to election day, the following actions by Mr. Blackwell, the Republican Party and election officials disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of Ohio citizens, predominantly minority and Democratic voters: (page 4)
5. Criminal Actions
“In addition, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 provides criminal penalties for violations of civil rights, rights, including interference with the right to vote. Specifically, section 245 of title 18 makes it a crime for any person who “by force or threat of force willfully injures, intimidates or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person because he is or has been, or in order to intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons from voting or qualifying to vote....”.(page 15)
“The Ohio Republican Party attempted to engage in “caging,” whereby it sent registered letters to newly registered voters in minority and urban areas, and then sought to challenge 35,000 individuals who refused to sign for the letters or the mail otherwise came back as undeliverable (this includes voters who were homeless, serving abroad, or simply did not want to sign for something concerning the Republican Party). Mark Weaver, an attorney for the Ohio Republican Party, acknowledged the Party used this technique.167 During a hearing before the Summit County Board of Elections, a challenger admitted that she had no knowledge to substantiate her claim that the voters she was challenging were out of compliance with Ohio’s election law:168 “(page 40)
“These incidents of voter intimidation and misinformation clearly violate the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Equal Protection, Due Process and the Ohio right to vote. The fact that Secretary Blackwell did not initiate a single investigation into these many serious allegations may represent a violation of his statutory duty to investigate election irregularities. Cases of intimidation and misinformation such as we have seen in Ohio appear to have become a regular feature of our election landscape and would appear to warrant the development of a stronger investigative and law enforcement system than we have at present, at both the state and federal levels.300 “(page 65)
6. Computer Voting Companies with Ties to Bush-Cheney
A. Diebold
“Diebold, whose CEO, Walden O’Dell, is a member of President Bush’s Pioneer and Ranger team, has visited the Crawford ranch and wrote a letter promising to deliver the electoral votes of Ohio.” (page 66)
“The Board made the alterations to the ballot after determining the intent of the voters. Following a lunch break during the recount, the Board kept recount observers waiting while a technician from the Diebold company reprogrammed the machine.” (page 95)
B. Triad
“The voting computer company Triad has essentially admitted that it engaged in a course of behavior during the recount in numerous counties to provide “cheat sheets” to those counting the ballots. The cheat sheets informed election officials how many votes they should find for each candidate, and how many over and under votes they should calculate to match the machine count. In that one has to be somewhat suspect.” (page 7) Is that why Karl Rove ‘knew’ the exit polls were wrong?
“According to the affidavit, the Triad official sought access to the voting machinery based on the apparent pretext that he wanted to review some “legal questions” Ohio voting officials might receive as part of the recount process. At several times during his interaction with Hocking County voting machines, Mr. Barbian telephoned into Triad’s offices to obtain programming information relating to the machinery and the precinct in question. It is now known that Triad officials have intervened in other counties in Ohio - Greene and Monroe, and perhaps others.
In fact, Mr. Barbian himself has admitted to altering tabulating software in Hocking, Lorain, Muskingum, Clark, Harrison and Guernsey counties.387 Todd Rapp, President of Triad, also has confirmed that these sorts of changes are standard procedure for his company.388” (page 81)
Of course there is no evidence when you refuse to look at it. Without Ohio’s cooked election books factored in the mix, John Kerry won based on achieving the highest number of qualified electoral votes.
“In addition, a challenge has been filed to the Ohio results asserting, to a level of sworn proof beyond a reasonable doubt, that Senator Kerry, not President Bush, was the actual victor of the Presidential race in Ohio. Kenneth Blackwell is adamantly refusing to answer any questions under oath in regard to election irregularities or results. He is apparently counting upon Congress accepting the votes of the electors and, as an immediate consequence, the Ohio Supreme Court dismissing the citizens' election contest.” (page 10)
There’s a lot more information in PRESERVING DEMOCRACY: WHAT WENT WRONG IN OHIO, Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff, which I again encourage you to read. Despite the lies on the congressional floor that everything seemed to be in order regarding the electoral vote from Ohio, it was not. It’s not too late to fix this. It can be said “upon further evaluation, the Ohio vote is not in order and should be disqualified. The President and Vice President are Kerry-Edwards.” The sound of JOY would sweep across the land.
The time for the great change is here. We are overcoming now.
Beware of folks who call the truth 'sour grapes' when it gets in the way of their agenda. Counterfeit or fake results were used to certify the 2004 election in Bush-Cheney’s favor.
George Bush, the current president of the United States of America is bogus. The State of the Union was bogus because the man elected president based on winning the highest number of qualified electoral votes was not giving the address. The Ohio election was so corrupt it should have been disqualified. That the Ohio vote was not disqualified speaks to the level of corruption in the U.S. federal government. The blessing is we learned which elected and appointed officials stand with the people, and which stand with the corrupt federal government.
The evidence is powerful enough that if the Black American victims of this vote fraud were White Americans, it would evoke a cry so loud that it would send a shutter down the spine of America.
As you will learn when you read the report submitted to congress about the election, Jim Crow is alive and well. There are pictures of him in Ohio. He’s seen in the average 4-5 hour lines much of the time outdoors in bad weather, to vote in Black Democratic communities while it took 10 minutes to vote in others.
Our shattered democracy is in need of healing.
Please, read the compelling material presented to congress challenging the Ohio electors titled PRESERVING DEMOCRACY: WHAT WENT WRONG IN OHIO, Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff. This 102 page report offers documentation on just how bad the system is broken and who is benefiting, using Ohio as an example. Share what you have learned and demand that your elected and appointed officials know that the people demand truth in the election process.
Preserving Democracy proves that there were so many voting problems in Ohio during the presidential election of 2004, it is impossible to get an accurate count. One person one vote is no longer how the president is chosen. The emperor is naked for all to see who choose to look at the evidence.
Preserving Democracy reveals many areas where the election in Ohio is seriously flawed: Conflicts of Interest; Voting Machine Placement – Pro Bush-Cheney; Spoiled Votes; Faulty Machines and Hanging Chads; Voter Intimidation and Mis-information; Disenfranchised Hundreds of Thousands of Ohio Citizens; Criminal Actions; and Computer Voting companies, Diebold and Triad, with ties to Bush-Cheney, castrating hundreds of thousands of votes.
Are we free or not? Does our vote count or not? Whose vote is slated to be stolen next? Like America learned while ignoring the CIA induced crack epidemic in the 1980’s, what happens in the Black community eventually makes it all through the country. Here’s a sampling of what you will learn in the report. I’ve kept footnote references in the quotes.
Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Bush Cheney Ohio campaign, J. Kenneth Blackwell - Or the voting referee is the captain of one of the playing teams.
1. Voting Machine Placement – Pro Bush-Cheney
“There was a wide discrepancy between the availability of voting machines in more minority, Democratic and urban areas as compared to more Republican, suburban and exurban areas. Even on election day, urban areas were hard pressed to receive the critical machines to respond to the ever lengthening lines. According to a Washington Post investigation, “in Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo, and on college campuses, election officials allocated far too few voting machines to busy precincts, with the result that voters stood on line as long as 10 hours – many leaving without voting.”79 Moreover, the Election Protection Coalition testified that more than half of the complaints about long lines they received “came from Columbus and Cleveland where a huge portion of the state’s Democratic voters live.” (page 24)
2. Spoiled Votes Faulty Machines and Hanging Chads
“Voters reported bizarre “glitches” in voting machines where votes for Senator Kerry were registered as votes for the President.6 The counting process was similarly chaotic and suspect.” (Page 8)
“We have received numerous reports of transfers of votes for Senator Kerry to votes for President Bush. Specifically, in Youngstown, the Washington Post reported that their investigation revealed 25 electronic machines transferred an unknown number of Kerry votes to the Bush column.229 Jeanne White, a veteran voter and manager at the Buckeye Review, an African American newspaper, stepped into the booth, pushed the button for Kerry – and watched her vote jump to the Bush column. “I saw what happened; I started screaming: ‘They’re cheating again and they’re starting early!”230 The Election Protection Coalition also confirmed these voting “glitches” noting that a “voter reported “Every time I tried to vote for the Democratic Party Presidential vote the machine went blank. I had to keep trying, it took 5 times” (page 52)
“Ohio had a significant number of spoiled votes – approximately 93,000.322 These are ballots in which either no presidential vote was recorded or multiple votes were indicated and therefore ignored. For example, someone may not have filled in his presidential choice dark enough for an optical scan machine to read, but did fill it in clearly enough to be a valid selection in a hand count.323 In addition, a punch card voter may not have punched completely through his choice, leaving a “chad” attached that could not be read by the tabulator. However, that same chad could be read in a hand count because Ohio law provides that hanging chads may be considered valid votes as long as two corners are detached.324
According to a New York Times investigation, “the problem [with spoiled ballots] was pronounced in minority areas, typically Kerry strongholds. In Cleveland ZIP codes where at least 85% of the population is black, precinct results show that one in 31 ballots registered no vote for president, more than twice the rate of largely white ZIP codes where one in 75 registered no vote for president. Election officials say that nearly 77,000 of the 96,000 [spoiled] ballots were punch cards.”325
One of the principal purposes of the recount in Ohio was to ascertain the intent of these 93,000 ballots. However, by manipulation or otherwise every county in Ohio but Coshocton County avoided completing a full hand recount. This means that the vast majority of these spoiled ballots will never be reviewed.” (page 70)
3. Voter Intimidation and Mis-information
Numerous incidents of voter intimidation and misinformation engaged in Ohio on election day likely violate the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1968, and the Ohio right to vote. Mr. Blackwell’s apparent failure to institute a single investigation into these acts likely represents a violation of his statutory duty to investigate election misconduct.” (page 99)
4. Disenfranchised Hundreds of Thousands of Ohio Citizens
“With regards to our factual finding, in brief, we find that there were massive and unprecedented voter irregularities and anomalies in Ohio. In many cases these irregularities were caused by intentional misconduct and illegal behavior, much of it involving Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, the co-chair of the Bush-Cheney campaign in Ohio. First, in the run up to election day, the following actions by Mr. Blackwell, the Republican Party and election officials disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of Ohio citizens, predominantly minority and Democratic voters: (page 4)
5. Criminal Actions
“In addition, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 provides criminal penalties for violations of civil rights, rights, including interference with the right to vote. Specifically, section 245 of title 18 makes it a crime for any person who “by force or threat of force willfully injures, intimidates or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person because he is or has been, or in order to intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons from voting or qualifying to vote....”.(page 15)
“The Ohio Republican Party attempted to engage in “caging,” whereby it sent registered letters to newly registered voters in minority and urban areas, and then sought to challenge 35,000 individuals who refused to sign for the letters or the mail otherwise came back as undeliverable (this includes voters who were homeless, serving abroad, or simply did not want to sign for something concerning the Republican Party). Mark Weaver, an attorney for the Ohio Republican Party, acknowledged the Party used this technique.167 During a hearing before the Summit County Board of Elections, a challenger admitted that she had no knowledge to substantiate her claim that the voters she was challenging were out of compliance with Ohio’s election law:168 “(page 40)
“These incidents of voter intimidation and misinformation clearly violate the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Equal Protection, Due Process and the Ohio right to vote. The fact that Secretary Blackwell did not initiate a single investigation into these many serious allegations may represent a violation of his statutory duty to investigate election irregularities. Cases of intimidation and misinformation such as we have seen in Ohio appear to have become a regular feature of our election landscape and would appear to warrant the development of a stronger investigative and law enforcement system than we have at present, at both the state and federal levels.300 “(page 65)
6. Computer Voting Companies with Ties to Bush-Cheney
A. Diebold
“Diebold, whose CEO, Walden O’Dell, is a member of President Bush’s Pioneer and Ranger team, has visited the Crawford ranch and wrote a letter promising to deliver the electoral votes of Ohio.” (page 66)
“The Board made the alterations to the ballot after determining the intent of the voters. Following a lunch break during the recount, the Board kept recount observers waiting while a technician from the Diebold company reprogrammed the machine.” (page 95)
B. Triad
“The voting computer company Triad has essentially admitted that it engaged in a course of behavior during the recount in numerous counties to provide “cheat sheets” to those counting the ballots. The cheat sheets informed election officials how many votes they should find for each candidate, and how many over and under votes they should calculate to match the machine count. In that one has to be somewhat suspect.” (page 7) Is that why Karl Rove ‘knew’ the exit polls were wrong?
“According to the affidavit, the Triad official sought access to the voting machinery based on the apparent pretext that he wanted to review some “legal questions” Ohio voting officials might receive as part of the recount process. At several times during his interaction with Hocking County voting machines, Mr. Barbian telephoned into Triad’s offices to obtain programming information relating to the machinery and the precinct in question. It is now known that Triad officials have intervened in other counties in Ohio - Greene and Monroe, and perhaps others.
In fact, Mr. Barbian himself has admitted to altering tabulating software in Hocking, Lorain, Muskingum, Clark, Harrison and Guernsey counties.387 Todd Rapp, President of Triad, also has confirmed that these sorts of changes are standard procedure for his company.388” (page 81)
Of course there is no evidence when you refuse to look at it. Without Ohio’s cooked election books factored in the mix, John Kerry won based on achieving the highest number of qualified electoral votes.
“In addition, a challenge has been filed to the Ohio results asserting, to a level of sworn proof beyond a reasonable doubt, that Senator Kerry, not President Bush, was the actual victor of the Presidential race in Ohio. Kenneth Blackwell is adamantly refusing to answer any questions under oath in regard to election irregularities or results. He is apparently counting upon Congress accepting the votes of the electors and, as an immediate consequence, the Ohio Supreme Court dismissing the citizens' election contest.” (page 10)
There’s a lot more information in PRESERVING DEMOCRACY: WHAT WENT WRONG IN OHIO, Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff, which I again encourage you to read. Despite the lies on the congressional floor that everything seemed to be in order regarding the electoral vote from Ohio, it was not. It’s not too late to fix this. It can be said “upon further evaluation, the Ohio vote is not in order and should be disqualified. The President and Vice President are Kerry-Edwards.” The sound of JOY would sweep across the land.
The time for the great change is here. We are overcoming now.
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