Global
When President Bush said that the new democracy he's creating in Iraq may not resemble the one we have here in the United States, he wasn't kidding. In fact, in Bush's convoluted world of political delusion, he serves not only as the high exalted King of America, but the supreme mullah of Iraq as well. How else do you explain his brazen demand of the Shiite leadership that they remove their interim Prime Minister, Ibrahim al-Jafaari, because he "doesn't want, doesn't support, doesn't accept" the recently nominated candidate. The story was reported Wednesday in the NY Times.
The "personal message from President Bush" was delivered to Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Shiite political bloc, by the American ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad. The Shiite bloc had won a plurality in Iraq's parliamentary election last December. It nominated Mr. Jafaari in February to remain prime minister for four more years.
The "personal message from President Bush" was delivered to Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Shiite political bloc, by the American ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad. The Shiite bloc had won a plurality in Iraq's parliamentary election last December. It nominated Mr. Jafaari in February to remain prime minister for four more years.
A serious question has been raised as to how C. Ellen Connally, a little-known, underfunded, African-American municipal judge from Cleveland, running for Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court against a well-financed incumbent, could have received more votes than John Kerry in 12 counties in Ohio. Not just a larger percentage of the vote. She drew more votes than John Kerry in these counties, in a race for Chief Justice that drew 1,195,882 fewer votes, statewide, than did the presidential race. The matter will be forever known, in the words of Reverend Jesse Jackson, as “The Connally Anomaly.”
The 12 counties are: Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Darke, Highland, Mercer, Miami, Putnam, Shelby, Van Wert, and Warren.
Read the full article as a PDF.
The 12 counties are: Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Darke, Highland, Mercer, Miami, Putnam, Shelby, Van Wert, and Warren.
Read the full article as a PDF.
TALLY OF REJECTED PROVISIONAL BALLOTS,
HAMILTON COUNTY, BY LOCATION
Cincinnati 3179
Harrison 60
Cleves 40
Loveland 34
North Bend 9
Miamitown 7
Terrace Park 5
Hamilton 4
Hooven 2
Addyston 1
Pisgah 1
Subtotal 3342
Not Completed 136
Cincinnati 3179
Harrison 60
Cleves 40
Loveland 34
North Bend 9
Miamitown 7
Terrace Park 5
Hamilton 4
Hooven 2
Addyston 1
Pisgah 1
Subtotal 3342
Not Completed 136
TALLY OF CHALLENGED VOTERS,
LUCAS COUNTY, BY LOCATION
Ward 8 121
Ward 2 111
Ward 4 76
Ward 6 62
Ward 17 39
Ward 13 32
Subtotal 441
Toledo 810
Suburbs 120
Total 930
Note that of 930 challenged voters, 810 (87.1%) were in Toledo. 441 (47.4%) were in six wards. 370 (39.8%) were in four wards. 232 (24.9%) were in two wards.
LUCAS COUNTY, BY LOCATION
Ward 8 121
Ward 2 111
Ward 4 76
Ward 6 62
Ward 17 39
Ward 13 32
Subtotal 441
Toledo 810
Suburbs 120
Total 930
Note that of 930 challenged voters, 810 (87.1%) were in Toledo. 441 (47.4%) were in six wards. 370 (39.8%) were in four wards. 232 (24.9%) were in two wards.
Oh, those glitches!
For some reason we tolerate them a lot more in an election - that is to say, in the mechanics of democracy, something we affect to believe in so fervently we're willing to go to war to make sure other countries have it - than we would in, let's say, our banking system.
Last week's primary election fiasco here in Chicago and Cook County - a fiasco of such ballot-eating magnitude that the city and county, which each had separate deals with Sequoia Voting Systems, are withholding more than $30 million remaining on their respective contracts with that company - should have generated howls of outrage. Instead, the tone of the local coverage of the chaotic transition from punch cards to optical-scan and touch-screen voting struck me more as tepid bemusement.
For some reason we tolerate them a lot more in an election - that is to say, in the mechanics of democracy, something we affect to believe in so fervently we're willing to go to war to make sure other countries have it - than we would in, let's say, our banking system.
Last week's primary election fiasco here in Chicago and Cook County - a fiasco of such ballot-eating magnitude that the city and county, which each had separate deals with Sequoia Voting Systems, are withholding more than $30 million remaining on their respective contracts with that company - should have generated howls of outrage. Instead, the tone of the local coverage of the chaotic transition from punch cards to optical-scan and touch-screen voting struck me more as tepid bemusement.
“Where in the bible do you find all this stuff about patriotism?”
Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong, and the Left Doesn't Get It, held a public lecture at St. John Arena at The Ohio State University on March 28, 2006. The lecture was followed by audience dialogue.
Wallis began his lecture with a reference to a conference held in Washington DC that very day. The richest and most powerful leaders of religion, met with the leaders of the most powerful nation, to discuss the so-called “war against Christians”.
“I am a person of faith too, and that is not my faith!” He proclaimed that the religious right was created by the political right and needed a counter movement. Nonetheless, he insisted, to not create a mirror image of that on the other side of the spectrum.
As for the subject of poverty, Wallis revealed that three billion people live on less than $2 a day. 30,000 children die every day. He also referred to the consequences of poverty within the United States. When speaking at the notorious prison Sing Sing, he learned that all of the inmates originated from three or four neighborhoods in New York.
Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong, and the Left Doesn't Get It, held a public lecture at St. John Arena at The Ohio State University on March 28, 2006. The lecture was followed by audience dialogue.
Wallis began his lecture with a reference to a conference held in Washington DC that very day. The richest and most powerful leaders of religion, met with the leaders of the most powerful nation, to discuss the so-called “war against Christians”.
“I am a person of faith too, and that is not my faith!” He proclaimed that the religious right was created by the political right and needed a counter movement. Nonetheless, he insisted, to not create a mirror image of that on the other side of the spectrum.
As for the subject of poverty, Wallis revealed that three billion people live on less than $2 a day. 30,000 children die every day. He also referred to the consequences of poverty within the United States. When speaking at the notorious prison Sing Sing, he learned that all of the inmates originated from three or four neighborhoods in New York.
The most unprincipled and opportunistic man in the history of Ohio, Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, stands poised to claim the Republican primary for governor. Blackwell and his far-right theocratic “rapture-ready” Christian dominionists will doom the Buckeye State to further despair.
It should come as no surprise that the Free Press is the only newspaper in Ohio willing to out Blackwell for appearing before white supremacists in the secretive Council on National Policy. Blackwell understands power; he understands that there’s plenty of money in putting a black face on the new politics of high-tech Jim Crow. Blackwell also understands that in order for his strategy to succeed, he must convince a significant number of black ministers to join him in his open bigotry against gays and lesbians.
This is simply the old apartheid politics of divide and conquer. Blackwell wants to rule the new Buckeye State Bantustan.
It should come as no surprise that the Free Press is the only newspaper in Ohio willing to out Blackwell for appearing before white supremacists in the secretive Council on National Policy. Blackwell understands power; he understands that there’s plenty of money in putting a black face on the new politics of high-tech Jim Crow. Blackwell also understands that in order for his strategy to succeed, he must convince a significant number of black ministers to join him in his open bigotry against gays and lesbians.
This is simply the old apartheid politics of divide and conquer. Blackwell wants to rule the new Buckeye State Bantustan.
The fact that electronic voting machines don't work may finally be sinking into a segment of the mainstream media. The fact that e-voting machines can, have been, and will be used to steal elections, continues to go unreported.
At least the corporate media has moved from framing the allegations of e-voting fraud as “conspiracy theory” into reporting epic errors in election results.
Both USA Today and the New York Times have run recent articles on the mechanical problems surrounding electronic voting that mirror much of what happened during the theft the presidential election in Ohio 2004.
On March 28, USA Today's front page reported, that "Primary voting-machine troubles raise concerns for general election." The story focused on primaries in Illinois and Texas, where all-too-familiar problems include more votes being counted than there were registered voters, and thousands of votes missing from a recount.
Even Texas voters couldn’t ignore the fact that an initial ballot tally in Ft. Worth showed 150,000 votes “. . . even though there were only one-third that many voters,” according to USA Today.
At least the corporate media has moved from framing the allegations of e-voting fraud as “conspiracy theory” into reporting epic errors in election results.
Both USA Today and the New York Times have run recent articles on the mechanical problems surrounding electronic voting that mirror much of what happened during the theft the presidential election in Ohio 2004.
On March 28, USA Today's front page reported, that "Primary voting-machine troubles raise concerns for general election." The story focused on primaries in Illinois and Texas, where all-too-familiar problems include more votes being counted than there were registered voters, and thousands of votes missing from a recount.
Even Texas voters couldn’t ignore the fact that an initial ballot tally in Ft. Worth showed 150,000 votes “. . . even though there were only one-third that many voters,” according to USA Today.
It may seem as though it's been moving along at a snail's pace, but the second part of the federal investigation into the leak of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson is nearly complete, with attorneys and government officials who have remained close to the probe saying that a grand jury will likely return an indictment against one or two senior Bush administration officials.
These sources work or worked at the State Department, the CIA and the National Security Council. Some of these sources are attorneys close to the case. They requested anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly about the details of the investigation.
In lengthy interviews over the weekend and on Monday, they said that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has started to prepare the paperwork to present to the grand jury seeking an indictment against White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove or National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.
These sources work or worked at the State Department, the CIA and the National Security Council. Some of these sources are attorneys close to the case. They requested anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly about the details of the investigation.
In lengthy interviews over the weekend and on Monday, they said that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has started to prepare the paperwork to present to the grand jury seeking an indictment against White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove or National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.