Mexico: ""FREEDOM!" Amazing Report from GregPalast's Matt Pascarella

[autorank]

Corporate media (CM) has dropped the ball big time. There is no winner yet declared. The * "congratulatoins" call to his pal Calderon was much like the Bush network consultant cousin's call of victory for * in 2000...PURE PROPOGANDA. There are complaints filed by Obrador in the article. There are charges of bias with right wing candidate Calderon's brother in law writing vote tabulation software for the supposedly independent national election institute (denied by brother in law then admitted after the contract was found). There is much, much more and this is a great article.

FREEDOM!

MEXICO CITY: IT AIN’T OVER ‘TIL IT’S OVER

Published by Greg Palast
July 10th, 2006 in Articles

By Matt Pascarella

http://www.gregpalast.com/it-aint-over-til-its-over#more-1449

While much of the world believes Felipe Calderon has been officially declared Mexico’s next President, it is not true. At least not yet.

(Mexico City) Last week the Electoral Commission, IFE, announced the results of a country-wide count of tally sheets - sheets that are attached to each ballot box - they found that Felipe Calderon (PAN) was ahead of Lopez Obrador (PRD) by around 0.5%. To Calderon, there is no question that he is the winner. But according to Lopez Obrador, he has won more votes.

Despite what both Calderon and Lopez Obrador tell their supporters and what you read in press reports, the next President has yet to be officially declared. IFE is not the body responsible for officially announcing the next President. Rather, it is TRIFE (Electoral Tribunal) that will make an official announcement by early September, after addressing complaints filed by each party. The parties have four days to file their objections following the results of the tally sheet count — which was concluded last Thursday.
Last night, the PRD, Lopez Obrador’s party, delivered their official complaint to the tribunal.

- Why hundreds of thousands of ballots have yet to be included in any count;
- Why ballots have been found, literally, in the trash;
- Why there was a massive amount of “drop-off”, i.e. where people showed up to vote but did not cast a vote for president;
- Why, on Election Day, Casilla workers in places like Queretaro and Salamanca were caught on video, stuffing ballot boxes and changing tally sheets.
- The use and role of public expenditures on Calderon’s campaign;
- The intervention of the current President, Vicente Fox (a member of PAN), which benefitted Calderon, during the campaign, and which is illegal according to the Electoral Commission’s rules.

[Sven77]

1. good stuff

glad to see the left candidate didnt roll over like Kerry.

[autorank]

2. Welcome to DU!!! There a tough crew in Mexico--TheyDon't Back Down

[EFerrari]

3. K&R

[autorank]

4. I love that pic!!! HI!! n/t

[Peace Patriot]

7. THAT is what democracy looks like! Great pix!

I have to say it, even though I've been dissing the DU crowd that is forever dissing the American people because they haven't "taken to the streets." I think protest can happen, and be very effective, in a dispersed way--if it is focused (like the Argentina tiny hammer protest, a movement of poor and middle class people who went around breaking all the display windows in the ATMs of offending banks, who had bankrupted Argentina with IMF/World Bank loans). Like the Absentee Ballot protest I've been pushing. If enough people vote Absentee (and many are), the rigged machines will be made OBSOLETE. AB voting is already up to 50% in Los Angeles. What if it spreads and goes higher? 60%? 90%? What a stir it would cause--masses of people distrusting the machines!

Anyway, being a kid of the Sixties, I love big, beautiful, peaceful, democratic crowds doing democratic things like telling their government off. How sweet it is! And it's beautiful to be in a crowd like that, to know that you are not alone. But we have rather different problems to deal with there--for one thing, a fascist junta with illegitimately obtained power that is completely deaf to the American people, and that has committed heinous acts, and is desperate to escape accountability for them.

I have to laugh (bitterly) at the corporate news articles that call Mexico a "young democracy." Young they may be, but what that means is that they've kicked butt in a revolution a lot more recently than we have. It's fresh in their minds. When your government screws you over, you THROW THEM OUT, rudely if necessary. They got screwed in 1988, and couldn't do much about that one (the system had become so clotted with corruption). But since then, the Latin American Leftist revolution has occurred. (I also had to laugh at the corporate news monopolies' presumption that Calderon's attempted smear of Lopez Obrador, about him being pals with Hugo Chavez, would LOSE Lopez Obrador votes! Are they kidding? The vast majority of Mexicans are VERY POOR. Chavez is a CHAMPION of the poor. Mexicans are much more up on political items like this, than most Americans are. They might worry a bit about the Bushites assassinating theirs or Venezuelans' Leftist leaders, but the only people such an attempted smear would play to, are the rich elite. And they were all in Calderon's pocket, and he is theirs. It wouldn't change any votes--but it might look good as a post-victory narrative in a stolen election! "Ah, it was the Hugo Chavez thing! THAT explains it!").

Anyway, Mexico's "young" democracy appears to be in a lot better shape than our creaky, old, broken down thing. The photo speaks volumes.

[mom cat]

10. I have some questions about absentee balloting. How secure are the

ballots, how monitored are the counts, how does one verify that your absentee ballot was recieved?
I worry that the politomafia will find a way to tamper with these too. Any ideas?
PS, I usually vote absentee and am not trying to discourage the idea. I would just like to monitor it too.

[Hardrada]

5. Well, when you're not running with a traitor like LIEberman

you might be able to mount a viable protest!

[kster]

6. K&R..........nt

[katinmn]

8. Ha! Let the citizens of Mexico prevail!

:)

[mod mom]

9. * quickly calls in the "congratulations". How familiar. Like if he says

so it makes it legit.

It makes me proud to see the Mexican people standing up for their democracy. I remember how lonely it was that such few of my fellow citizens felt the need to come join us in '04. I hope all the evidence that has been put forward will enbolden them in the futre.

Auto, another excellent post!
:hi:

[autorank]

11. They've got their routine down...it's a natural response.

"Oh, he's not officially the winner. We'll take care of that. Karl, get Calderon on the phone. I'll congratulate him for the victory." :rofl: fantasy world becomes reality.