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Thailand coup squabbling

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Six weeks after a bloodless military coup destroyed Thailand's democracy, squabbling has erupted among supporters of the putsch, amid worries that corrupt politicians are hiding illegal loot while the ruling junta dithers without direction.

"It could all turn into a political farce," warned Campaign for Popular Democracy member Suwit Watnoo, after rifts among the coup's collaborators spilled into the public arena.

"So far, corruption allegations are just that -- unfounded allegations. This makes society uneasy," complained Ongart Klampaiboon, spokesman for the Democrat Party, which benefited from sudden toppling of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's government on Sept. 19.

The popular coup also did not stop Islamist separatists fighting in southern Thailand, where more than 1,700 people have died since January 2004, despite the junta's promise to listen to minority ethnic Malay Muslims' demands for justice, equality, autonomy and multiculturalism.

Pojaman Shinawatra, Mr. Thaksin's wealthy wife, successfully scandalized one of the junta's top officials by privately meeting him while her

Eternal vigilance: the fight to save our election system

David Earnhardt's Eternal Vigilance: The Fight to Save Our Election System focuses on the National Election Reform Conference, held in April 2005 in Nashville, which gathered several hundred concerned citizens from 30 states. Since it took place so close on the heels of the November 2004 election, it took on a sort of post-mortem feel. We survived, we're grieving, we're together. Now, what are we going to do?

Something interesting is happening. I keep thinking and writing "we" as opposed to "they." Even though I heard about the conference only afterward it happened, I feel like I was there. It's uncanny, this bond that connects all of us patriots who feel so strongly about the absolute need for fair elections.

Before writing this piece, I wanted to pick Bob Koehler's brain about what went on in Nashville. He's out of reach now, visiting his daughter in France. I do know the conference had a profound effect on him. He went on to write shortly afterwards ÒThe Silent Scream of Numbers: The 2004 election was stolen — will someone please tell the media?

Comic-book patriotism

"You, sir, should be horsewhipped."

Nothing like a little intimidation to liven up my ongoing meditation on a just society. To be threatened with e-mail violence by a Marine Corps major (ret.) steeped in righteousness - wow, how deliciously personal and unfair. What a lovely mixture of bile and adrenaline it sets to bubbling. What a temptation it creates to respond in kind.

Instead, I've decided to make this conversation - about violence, ignorance, idealism - public. This is bigger than both of us, sir.

I stand accused, for writing a column defending a young Marine deserter who fled apparent criminal abuse at the hands of fellow Marines (returning Iraq vets who acted as though they were haunted by the demons of PTSD), of "disrupting the good order and discipline" of the Corps, and of an almost treasonous failure, judging by the tone of the letter and the proposed punishment, to appreciate how good I've got it: "It is the likes of men . . . you belittle and criticize that provide you with the privilege of the free speech you so eagerly abuse."

The power of a social movement can beat the GOP double Chickenhawks

It's never been more true that the one thing we Americans can say with pride about George W. Bush is that we have never elected him president of the United States.

The regime is even more despised than ever, in part because the derogatory term "chickenhawk" now applies in all its worst double meanings.

And while Bush and Karl Rove crow that they're about to "win" again, we think they are about to run into their worst nightmare: a full-blown grassroots social movement.

The GOP strategy for stealing 2006 is much the same as in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, and in key Senatorial elections in 2002: mass disenfranchisement of mostly urban Democratic voters, combined with mass inflation of mostly rural Republican votes.

The primary tools for disenfranchisement include the decimation of voter registration lists and outright harassment of would-be Democratic voters. In Ohio alone, there has been the electronic disenfranchisement of some ten percent of the state's registered voters, along with the virtual abolition of the recount process.

Dorothy Fadiman’s Stealing America: Vote by Vote

This is a film that is more than simply the sum of its parts. It combines powerful content, high-quality camerawork, effective graphics, and a haunting musical score. The film is clearly the work of someone with extensive experience in the field. In fact, Dorothy Fadiman has been making documentaries for the last 30 years, and has many awards to her credit.

Stealing America is a quiet film, and most of the action takes place away from the bombast of politicians. Floundering democracy is the true protagonist here. The corporate media do not come out well – film clips of commentators on Election Day remarking on how smoothly everything went are interspersed with long lines of voters standing in the dark for hours, waiting for a turn to vote. When the networks began to call the election for Bush, inner city voters were still in line – some standing there for as long as thirteen hours – trying to take part in an election that had already been declared.

Meet some candidate

http://mattbors.com

Repairing the U.S. system of voting: 50 concrete steps

VOTING, LIKE FREE SPEECH, SHOULD BE A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT. Until we pass that constitutional amendment, a new voting rights law must be passed establishing a federal right to vote. What the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections illustrated above all else is the ability of partisan and ruthless political operatives to manipulate a haphazard system comprising 50 different state voting laws, as interpreted by secretaries of states and various county, ward and precinct officials....

READ THE FULL DOCUMENT (requires Adobe Acrobat)

Official states electronic voting system added votes never cast in 2004 Presidential election; audit log missing

An electronic vote counting system included votes never cast in the total vote count reported for the 2004 Presidential election according to an official directly in charge of conducting the election, the Republican Director of the Miami County (Ohio) Board of Elections. The audit log for the system is missing all information for the 2004 Presidential election....

Read the full document (requires Adobe Acrobat)

Check out We Count for a great TownHall confrontation between Vicki Lovegren of Ohio Vigilance and Michael Vu, Supervisor of Cuyahoga County BOE

See this video at the We Count 2006 Blog

This is well worth watching if you want to understand why pollworkers in Cleveland will not be allowed to post precinct results. It is fairly short because there is no reason. No acceptable reason in a Democracy, that is. Vicki Lovegren of Ohio Vigilance lays it out in plain, clear irrefutable language. Pollworkers need to perform an extremely simple two-step process. The BOE agreed to do this procedure in the spring, and now -- due to pressure from superiors -- may not do the posting.

Please also see Vicki's call to action below: This is What Democracy Looks Like !

The whole world will be watching next week's election, and Cuyahoga County's will be a major object of focus. WCPN will host World Have Your Say here in Cleveland on the 7th and 8th. Director Michael Vu was on Lou Dobbs on Sunday night and on CNN today. And wait until the new film, Hacking Democracy, airs this Thursday?

Oneonta

There's a small college town in New York state called Oneonta.  Some of the students at the state university there organized an event Monday night that had terrific turnout, and for once the crowd at a college political event was made up of mostly college students.  I'm used to seeing adults in the majority at campus events related to political activism.

I was one of 10 speakers on a variety of topics related to the influence of campaign "contributions".  My topic was war.  The other speakers were excellent, and the students were well informed.  That is, some of them were.  One anonymous person submitted this question on a card during the Q and A part of the event:

"Mr. Swanson – Can you address the counter-argument to your idea.  That if we leave Iraq a worse leader will take power and attack the US again?"

Again?

After pointing out the problem with that word, I replied primarily by speaking to the damage being done by the occupation, the inability of the occupation ever to come up with a strategy that would avoid making conditions worse and even worse, the need for withdrawal and for UN assistance if Iraq is to have a chance. 

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