Columbus, Ohio---Hour after hour the testimonies are the same: angry Ohioans telling of vicious Republican manipulation and de facto intimidation that disenfranchised tens of thousands and probably cost the Democrats the election.

At an African-American church on Saturday and then at the Franklin County Courthouse Monday night, more than 700 people came to testify and witness to tales of the atrocity that was the November 2 election.

Organized by local ad hoc groups, the hearings had a court reporter and a team of lawyers along with other appointed witnesses. At freepress.org we will be making the testimonies available as they're transcribed and organized, and we will present a fuller accounting of the hearings, along with a book that includes the transcripts.

But one thing was instantly and abundantly clear: the Republican Party turned Ohio 2004 into an updated version of the Jim Crow South.

The principle overt method of vote suppression was to short-change inner city precincts of sufficient voting machines to allow a timely balloting. In

Your paper is awesome! Your news is accurate! Your columns are honest! Thank YOU Free Press.

I just finished reading None dare call it voter suppression and fraud by Bob Fitrakis.  

I really enjoyed the piece and appreciate all the supporting facts Mr Fitrakis used.  Too bad we can't get the major TV networks to do any investigative journalism anymore!  

Thank you.
  Rob Decker

Dear Harvey,

Thanks for hitting the issue head-on.  I DO feel betrayed. When the judges allowed stand-by Republicans to challenge voters standing in line, I KNEW it was Florida repeated. Send me in the right direction.  Who do I support?

Will this effort continue?  Hope so. Found you on commondreams.org A little younger than I am, but a real product of the 60's. Carol Harkins

PS.  Our race for governor has still not been resolved, the national Dems could have waited, too.  If our ballots for governor have still not been counted, when is the final tabulation due on the presidential election?

Mr. Wasserman:

No need for confusion here: (1) Web articles clearly demonstrate to anyone with the intelligence of a Teddy Bear that Kerry "threw" the Election.

(2) Articles state that he will be walking off into the mists of time with millions of unspent campaign money.

(3) One article, with references, indicates that Mrs. Heinz-Kerry received a gold warehouse receipt worth 5 million (thanks, no doubt, for keeping a firm grip on our hero's testicles).

(4) Other speculation is that Dr. Dean was shot down early as a real threat to Bush so that a non-entitiy like Kerry, with the personality of a freshly opened oyster,  could impersonate a viable candidate for the public.

(5) Since it would offend many, I will not characterize those who ever thought Kerry had the chance of a snowbell in Hell.

(6) I was about to ramble on about corruption of the voting, but have been interrupted by an ominous knock at the door.

  Bob A.