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Wads of cash

Mickey Mouse-ing the Vote

"I'm Ted Koppel and thisssssssss... is 'Nightline.'" If you remember that line, or the Saturday Night Line exaggeration of it, then you are old enough to know who Ted Koppel is, and why he might be bored by a debate with too little blood on the floor. 'Nightline' was born out of the hostage crisis in Iran, the grandfather of dozens of less successful crisis-turned-long-running-shows-posing-as-"serious journalism." Geraldo would love to have done the same with the OJ Simpson trial, but alas, it was not to be.

Koppel, of course, succeeded beyond his own wildest dreams; but his Geraldo-esque roots were showing recently when he bared his ample sensationalist teeth over the guest list at the Democratic candidates' debate in Durham, NH. Consider this series of events: the week prior to the event, Koppel is reported to have complained that only six of the candidates should be invited. How can you create conflict on such a crowded stage? Of course, conflict is the goal here-always has been. Wake up, America. The media's bleating about having to cover candidates that aren't "serious" is, neatly, the opposite of the truth. A lot like a Bush press release.

Could a Founding Father's Belief About Civil Liberties Be Wrong Today?

Benjamin Franklin stated that 'they who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.' Although the Bush Administration must be familiar with the famous words uttered by one of our most-distinguished statesmen, they apparently consider them out of fashion.     If the Bush Administration has taken note of these words of a framer of the Declaration of Independence, it obviously thinks his warning is outdated.  That is, unless, this Administration really believes that their dragnet approach has made us safer.  Let's look at the facts.  But the question remains of whether assaults on human rights mounted by President Bush and his Attorney General, John Ashcroft, have made our country safer.

In reaction to the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that over 1,200 people of Arab background or Muslim belief had been detained.  This was followed by 'voluntary interviews' of Arab and Muslim males, some citizens included, that were anything but voluntary  . Then he announced, NSEERS or 'Special Registration' that required  almost 80,000 people visiting Our Land of the

Ballot access setback for third parties

The Secretary of State's Office has rejected the Libertarian Party of Ohio's petition to get candidates on the ballot for the 2004 election.

They are throwing us off the ballot after we turned in over 57,000 signatures and spent $50,000!

We poured our heart and soul into this ballot drive.  People all over the state circulated petitions and people all over the state signed petitions saying they want the Libertarian Party on the ballot in Ohio.

BUT  Secretary of State Ken Blackwell arbitrarily ruled them invalid due to a petition language technicality.

Libertarian, Green, Reform, Natural Law, etc.  parties deserve the same right to run for office and vote for their candidates as Republicans and Democrats have.

But apparently Blackwell doesn't think so.  The 57,000 who signed our petitions have no voice, according to him.

And the plot thickens...in a recent article in the Columbus Dispatch columnist Steve Stephens called Blackwell, "The politician who might benefit the most from no Libertarians on the ballot."

Coincidence?

Breakthrough and Peril for the Green Party

SAN FRANCISCO -- Up against the campaign of a wealthy businessman who outspent him nearly 10-to-1, a strong progressive candidate nearly won the runoff election last Tuesday to become this city’s mayor. Some national news stories depicted the strong showing for Matt Gonzalez as a big surprise. But it shouldn’t perplex anyone when vigorous grassroots organizing combines with a sound strategy to get breakthrough results.

     Local elections in San Francisco are officially nonpartisan, and ballots don’t indicate party affiliations. But the contenders spoke openly of their party labels. The Democrat in the race, Gavin Newsom, became so worried that Bill Clinton and Al Gore flew in to campaign for him. In contrast, Green Party member Gonzalez relied on several thousand active volunteers.

     Contrary to all the conventional media wisdom, the Gonzalez campaign surged to receive 47.4 percent of the votes.

     Routinely discounted by pundits in the mainstream media, the Green Party has been making some inroads. The party now claims 205 elected officials in 26 states. This year, Greens won posts ranging from auditor

Al Sharpton in Norwood. CJC pushing recall petition

According to the Cincinnati Post, Democratic Party presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton will be at Joseph-Beth bookstore tomorrow (Friday) from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. for a book signing.  Joseph-Beth is located in the Rookwood Pavilion in Norwood.

The Coalition For A Just Cincinnati (CJC) will be there to collect signatures on the "Citizen Empowerment and City Council Neighborhood District Act".  We are trying to do two major things. First, we want to change the Charter of Cincinnati to allow us to recall the mayor. Second, we want to change the way we elect council members from at- large to neighborhood districts.

Click the following link to read the petition. www.boycottcincinnati.org/districtpetition.pdf

Click this link to see a general outline of the neighborhood districts. www.boycottcincinnati.org/districtmap.pdf

The CJC wrote letters to Rev. Sharpton and the other 9 presidential candidates last week asking them to demand an immediate justice

Protect Lake Erie

The Ohio House of Representatives is considering legislation, House Bill 218, that would transfer thousands of acres along our coast to private landowners.

For those of us who enjoy Ohio's outdoors, this could severely restrict our right to fish, swim, wade and walk near the shore.

Lake Erie, its shoreline and coastal waters belong to the people of Ohio. Please take a moment to ask your state representative to keep it that way and reject House Bill 218. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=426&id4=OHFreep

Background

Some property owners along the Lake Erie shore want to gain a legal foothold to fence off vast stretches of now-public beach for themselves. If they get their way, the public can look forward to a shoreline cluttered with sprawling million-dollar estates, private clubs and even oil drilling derricks - and fences and "keep out" signs to restrict public access to the Lake Erie shore.

Wal-Mart Invades, and Mexico Gladly Surrenders

MEXICO CITY, Dec. 5 - The company that ate America is now swallowing Mexico.

Wal-Mart, the biggest corporation in the United States, is already the biggest private employer in Mexico, with 100,164 workers on its payroll here as of last week. Last year, when it gained its No. 1 status in employment, it created about 8,000 new positions - nearly half the permanent new jobs in this struggling country.

Wal-Mart's power is changing Mexico in the same way it changed the economic landscape of the United States, and with the same formula: cut prices relentlessly, pump up productivity, pay low wages, ban unions, give suppliers the tightest possible profit margins and sell everything under the sun for less than the guy next door.

"This is the game that Wal-Mart has played in the United States," said Diana Farrell, director of McKinsey Global Institute, a policy research group run by the international business consultancy McKinsey & Company. "They've changed the name of the game in Mexico."

In the United States and Western Europe, Wal-Mart has been accused of driving down wages, introducing cut-throat

Ho, Ho, Halliburton!

 Christmas Comes Early for Bush and GOP Contributors at Americans' Expense

      The MoveOn.org Voter Fund has launched a national cable network television and newspaper ad buy exposing "The most outrageous Christmas list in America," - a laundry list of early Christmas gifts from George W. Bush and the Republican Congress to their special interest friends and contributors in Washington, snuck into the proposed $820 billion omnibus bill.

      "So who does President Bush think is naughty and nice?" asks the ad that appears in today's Washington Post. Both the national TV spot-which runs Tuesday through Thursday on cable stations-and the print ad challenge Bush Administration giveaways hidden in the omnibus bill: clearance for employers to strip 8 million workers of overtime pay, an FCC rules change that will permit epic media consolidation, and the renewal of no-bid contracts to Halliburton and other Administration-friendly companies.

 The TV ad can be received tomorrow on the following satellite coordinates:

      First Feed:
      Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2003
      Time:13:30-13:45 ET

Remember Aceh on Human Rights Day

Phone Your Representative to Co-sponsor H. Con. Res. 327 to End Rights Violations in Aceh

The Indonesian Government has extended martial law in Aceh for another six months.  As the civilian death toll mounts, governments of the world remain quiet.  Act now to urge the U.S. Congress to send a loud and clear message that the Indonesian military's slaughter of Acehnese must be stopped. Urge your Representative to cosponsor H. Con. Res. 327.

H. Con. Res. 327 calls on the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to immediately declare a ceasefire and halt hostilities in Aceh, end all human rights violations, and return to negotiations with significant Acehnese civil society and international involvement.  The resolution further urges Indonesia to refrain from using U.S.-supplied weapons in Aceh. The Indonesian military has used F-16 fighter jets and OV-10 Bronco planes against civilians, as well as C-130 cargo planes.

The resolution also calls for the Indonesian government to bring to justice those responsible for approving, planning, and carrying out the August 2000

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