Global
I read the news today about how the AG for Ohio, a Republican partisan, while refusing to release any information regarding the Ohio recount filings which were upheld by the Courts of Ohio, is now filing against the attorneys who demanded a recount legally. It is American patriotism that lends one to ask 'have all the votes been counted'. It is patriotism that drives one to ask questions about the second election in 4 years where the Republican Party chairperson for the Bush Cheney campaign is also the person responsible for counting all the votes in a particular state. If you count Florida, it has happened thrice in 4 years now, twice in the sunshine State with 2 different Secretaries of State.
It seems that the Bush White House and the Bush Republicans have conjured up a mythical mandate for their most unpopular and controversial policies out of the highly flawed 2004 Presidential Election. In the public statements of Bush and other Republican leaders, the widely disputed results of the election has made the White House immune from criticism for their failures in Iraq and Social Security ripe for plunder by Wall Street, despite public opinion polls to the contrary.
It was the Democratic Party and the labor union movement that created Social Security starting under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Democrats and labor unions have always been the true defenders and supporters of the Social Security program.
It was the Democratic Party and the labor union movement that created Social Security starting under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Democrats and labor unions have always been the true defenders and supporters of the Social Security program.
No, this is not a military-oriented guide to keeping fit. Yet it has made some people uncomfortable if not downright sore.
It’s about the peace movement and how a U.S. Marine company using downtown Toledo for “urban warfare” training January 7-8, provided an opportunity for activists to think and act beyond normal limits.
With barely a week’s notice, an article in the local paper announced that a weapons company of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Reserves would spend a weekend running around our downtown, honing combat skills by firing blanks at imaginary enemies. The North West Ohio Peace Coalition (NWOPC) and local Veterans for Peace (VFP) designed a response, different from what many in the peace movement had seen or that some were even comfortable with.
That response was:
It’s about the peace movement and how a U.S. Marine company using downtown Toledo for “urban warfare” training January 7-8, provided an opportunity for activists to think and act beyond normal limits.
With barely a week’s notice, an article in the local paper announced that a weapons company of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Reserves would spend a weekend running around our downtown, honing combat skills by firing blanks at imaginary enemies. The North West Ohio Peace Coalition (NWOPC) and local Veterans for Peace (VFP) designed a response, different from what many in the peace movement had seen or that some were even comfortable with.
That response was:
COLUMBUS -- In a stunning legal attack, Ohio's Republican Attorney General has moved for sanctions against the four attorneys who sued George W. Bush et. al. in an attempt to investigate the Buckeye State's bitterly contested November 2 election.
Robert Fitrakis, Susan Truitt, Cliff Arnebeck and Peter Peckarsky were named by Attorney General James Petro in a filing with the Ohio Supreme Court. Petro charges the November Moss v Bush and Moss v. Moyer filings by the Election Protection legal team were "frivolous." Petro is demanding court sanctions and fines.
"Instead of evidence, contesters offered only theory, conjecture, hypothesis and invective," the Attorney General's January 18th memo about the suit said. "A contest proceeding is not a toy for idle hands. It is not to be used to make a political point, or to be used as a discovery tool, or be used to inconvenience or harass public officials, or to be used as a publicity gimmick."
Robert Fitrakis, Susan Truitt, Cliff Arnebeck and Peter Peckarsky were named by Attorney General James Petro in a filing with the Ohio Supreme Court. Petro charges the November Moss v Bush and Moss v. Moyer filings by the Election Protection legal team were "frivolous." Petro is demanding court sanctions and fines.
"Instead of evidence, contesters offered only theory, conjecture, hypothesis and invective," the Attorney General's January 18th memo about the suit said. "A contest proceeding is not a toy for idle hands. It is not to be used to make a political point, or to be used as a discovery tool, or be used to inconvenience or harass public officials, or to be used as a publicity gimmick."
"Any appearance of a permanent occupation of Iraq by the U.S. will both undermine domestic support here in the United States and play directly into the hands of those in the Middle East who -- however wrongly -- suspect us of imperial design." So spoke former Secretary of State James Baker last week in a speech at Rice University in Houston.
There are few heavier hitters in Bush country than Baker, who was secretary of state when Bush Sr. went to war on Iraq in 1991 and the architect of Bush Jr.'s stolen election in 2000. A few days earlier, Brent Scowcroft, another veteran of Bush Sr.'s administration, raised once more, as he had in 2002, doubts about Bush Jr.'s Iraq strategy.
There are few heavier hitters in Bush country than Baker, who was secretary of state when Bush Sr. went to war on Iraq in 1991 and the architect of Bush Jr.'s stolen election in 2000. A few days earlier, Brent Scowcroft, another veteran of Bush Sr.'s administration, raised once more, as he had in 2002, doubts about Bush Jr.'s Iraq strategy.
In the shadow of overwhelming irregularities in the Ohio’s election, New Mexico has played out it’s own post-election drama almost unnoticed by anyone outside the state. Even before the November 2, New Mexico had been in the news for reports of malfunctioning voting machines and other problems. Hundreds of incidents were reported on Election Day. The state got some national attention for once again leading the nation in undervote rate. All this coupled with a small margin of victory in the presidential race (just 3/4 of 1%) led to concern about the accuracy of the results.
Imagine a country where during a major national election the voting machines counted backwards, counted more votes than people who showed up to vote, switched the votes so that they "hopped" from one candidate to the opponent, had no paper trail verification by design, and the voting machines were allowed to be either altered or kept from inspection after the election. Imagine if the people responsible for all this just refused to show up at a proper judicially noticed court proceeding to discuss any facts of this. Imagine if everyone in power were in on the game- or at least the majority of those in power- so no real investigations with any kind of force of subpoena power would ever take place. No one would ever know. Imagine it. Then get yourself a cup of coffee and wake up, because that is exactly what happened in the US Presidential election of 2004.
In three days George Bush and Richard Cheney, will be sworn in- baring Act of God- as President and the Vice President of the United States- again. Don't you believe it.
In three days George Bush and Richard Cheney, will be sworn in- baring Act of God- as President and the Vice President of the United States- again. Don't you believe it.
Dear Editor,
Some time during the night of January 5th, signs in the yards of several homes in our Clintonville neighborhood were destroyed by being painted with red spray paint,or ripped from the ground ,then incinerated in our driveways.Each sign that was destroyed expressed messages such as,"Pray For Peace" or,"One People-World Peace."
I would like to ask those people that participated in these bizarre acts of vandalism,why they didn't have the courage to ring my doorbell,look me in the eye,do the honorable thing and explain to me as a fellow citizen of the United States and the world,why they find notions such as world peace and tolerance for people of other cultures and beliefs so threatening and abhorrent? I would also ask them to consider the frightening analogy between their own irrational,violent acts,and those that are currently being perpetrated as acts of warfare in many parts of our contemporary world.
When reading the crime and punishment section of my local newspaper (the business pages), I’m continually reminded of the gross inequities inherent in our criminal justice system.
Virtually every day there are reports of CEOs and directors of major corporations who are charged with malfeasance, misappropriation of funds and grand larceny -- on a grand scale.
More often than not, those charged with such offenses end up making a settlement or plea agreement. Usually, those agreements result in fines and/or monetary settlement of lawsuits that don’t even begin to compensate victims of their crimes. Moreover, having agreed to huge multi-million-dollar settlements, there is usually a denial that there was any wrongdoing. To add further insult to injury, few are ever incarcerated.
Virtually every day there are reports of CEOs and directors of major corporations who are charged with malfeasance, misappropriation of funds and grand larceny -- on a grand scale.
More often than not, those charged with such offenses end up making a settlement or plea agreement. Usually, those agreements result in fines and/or monetary settlement of lawsuits that don’t even begin to compensate victims of their crimes. Moreover, having agreed to huge multi-million-dollar settlements, there is usually a denial that there was any wrongdoing. To add further insult to injury, few are ever incarcerated.