Election Reform, Fraud & News Wed 12/20/06-Democracy Too Important To Leave To Chance

[kpete]

Election Reform, Fraud & News Wed 12/20/06-Democracy Too Important To Leave To Chance



http://www.fraudbusterbob.com/blog/

Audio Of Dr. Fitrakis And Paul Lehto Speaking On The 2006 Election
http://fraudbusterbob.com/blog/2006/12/19/audio-of-dr-fitrakis-and-paul-lehto-speaking-on-the-2006-election/

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

If you can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.

4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.

Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page.

[kpete]

1. Frustrated Ambitions: The George W. Bush Presidency and the 2006 Elections

Frustrated Ambitions: The George W. Bush Presidency and the 2006 Elections

Steven E. Schier, Carleton College

Abstract

The 2006 elections dealt a strong blow to the sizeable political and policy ambitions motivating the George W. Bush presidency. Bush's attempt to entrench a conservative political regime in national politics now faces its greatest peril. In particular, Bush's "political capital" is much reduced by Democratic control of the House and Senate. Bush's assertion of his formal powers will also receive greater challenge by Congress. It is now up to future GOP presidents to achieve Bush's extensive regime ambitions.

http://www.bepress.com/forum/vol4/iss3/art1/
http://www.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?context=forum&article=1142&date=&mt=MTE2NjYyNjQ2NQ%3D%3D&access_ok_form=Processing

[kpete]

2. Road to White House may cost $1 billion

Road to White House may cost $1 billion
By Ralph Z. Hallow
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
December 20, 2006


The chairman of the Federal Election Commission yesterday predicted that 2008 will produce the first $1 billion presidential race and that the $500 million that each party's candidate will need to compete will severely limit the field of contenders.

"The 2008 presidential election will be the longest and most expensive in United States history," FEC Chairman Michael E. Toner told The Washington Times.

"The nominee of each major party is likely to opt out of the public-financing system for the first time ever for the general election," Mr. Toner said.

Officials told The Times that in 2004, both Sen. John Kerry and President Bush considered not accepting public financing for the general election. But they decided to accept the $75 million and the consequent spending cap out of fear of an out-of-control, money-raising race with an uncertain outcome. Both men eschewed federal matching funds for their primary contests.

Mr. Toner said that nominees will seek to raise up to $500 million for their campaigns and that the "entry level" for getting into the presidential nomination campaign as a serious contender will be $100 million by the end of 2007. A candidate who hasn't raised that much by then will not be taken seriously by potential major donors or by the press, he said.

more at:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20061220-121843-2600r.htm

[Peace Patriot]

12. Here's an idea. A six-week campaign. Free and generous TV time for

all contenders. No TV ads. No PR. No campaign donations. Then we vote.

(On PAPER BALLOTS, HAND-COUNTED AT THE PRECINCT LEVEL!)

[kpete]

3. GA: Voting officials evaluate paper-trail machines

Voting officials evaluate paper-trail machines
By Liz Fabian
TELEGRAPH STAFF WRITER

Based on comments at Tuesday's public hearing, Bibb County elections officials would vote "no" on the new paper-audit-trail voting machines they tested in November.

Bibb County's Godfrey 5 precinct at Jessie Rice Elementary School, where the hearing was held, was one of three pilot locations in Georgia testing the machines, which keep a printed roll of the ballots cast.

After the election, an eight-person audit team from Bibb County manually counted votes from that one precinct - an audit process that took more than 200 hours.

"I cannot imagine doing this for a whole election. It would be horrible," said Elaine Carr, Macon-Bibb County's elections supervisor.

more at:
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/16278395.htm

[philb]

26. Why would it take 200 hours to count 1000 or so votes? And why aren't they considering opti-scan?

Georgia has had huge amounts of irregularities, and likely swung elections in 2006 and 2004 and 2002 using touch screen machines with no paper trail

www.flcv.com/Georgia6.html
WWW.flcv.com/Georgia.html


Opti-scan is much less expensive to use, much more reliable, much more accurate, and
has a paper trail. There is no advantage that DREs have that I'm aware of other than to be easy to manipulate vote totals.

[kpete]

4. FL: Expert: Machine setup caused Sarasota `undervote'An election-systems expert told a judge

TALLAHASSEE
Expert: Machine setup caused Sarasota `undervote'An election-systems expert told a judge that it's unlikely that nearly 13 percent of Sarasota voters chose not to vote in a congressional race.
By DAVID ROYSE
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE - An MIT political-science professor who is an expert on election systems testified Tuesday that it's statistically unlikely that nearly 13 percent of Sarasota voters chose not to vote in a Southwest Florida congressional race.

A more likely conclusion to explain the unusually high ''undervote'' is that something went wrong in the preparation of voting machines, the expert, Charles Stewart, told a judge during a hearing over whether Christine Jennings' campaign can get access to computer codes used to program the electronic touch-screen voting machines.

Stewart testified for the plaintiffs that confusion over ballot design seemed an unlikely explanation because far more confusing ballots -- such as the infamous Palm Beach County butterfly ballot from 2000 -- have had much lower voter-error rates.

Lawyers for makers of the voting machines, Election Systems & Software Inc., countered that Stewart's testimony amounted to speculation, noting that there were higher undervote counts, for example in the attorney general's race in neighboring Charlotte County on the same machines.

more at:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/politics/elections/16278435.htm

[kpete]

13. FL: Voting Machine Glitch Likely, Expert Testifies

Voting Machine Glitch Likely, Expert Testifies
Skip directly to the full story.
By CATHERINE DOLINSKI The Tampa Tribune

Published: Dec 20, 2006


TALLAHASSEE - Computer malfunction is likelier than voter confusion or disgust over negative campaigning to account for the thousands of so-called undervotes in the District 13 Congressional race, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology political science expert testified Tuesday.

Attorneys for Democrat Christine Jennings and a group of 11 voters argued in Leon County Circuit Court that Election Systems & Software should hand over the source code that runs the paperless electronic voting machines used in Sarasota County in November.

Only by analyzing the computer code inside Sarasota County's voting machines can it be determined whether a software bug ate the 18,380 votes missing from the election, Dan Wallach, a computer scientist from Rice University who specializes in voting technology, said in court.

ES&S is fighting the demand, arguing that opening the code would violate the company's trade secrets and expose them to devastating financial harm.

more at:
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBG1TX6XVE.html

[truedelphi]

23. It's SO interesting that ES & S is fighting this BUT

But the thing is - the code the affects the vote through illegal hacking
could be code that disappears once it is done with the opertion - There
simply is NO WAY to find out - Not ever

PAPER BALLOTS, PAPER BALLOTS, HARE KRISHNA, HARE HARE

[philb]

25. 20 precincts had over 20% UVs on election day and 48 did in early voting: list

Election day precincts with over 25% undervotes
0031,0090,0105,0117,0118,0120,0153

Early voting precincts with over 25% undervotes
0028,0031,0038,0042,0045,0048,0063,0075,0090,0105,0117,0118,0119,0153

the early votes were distributed to the precincts from a fewer number of early voting sites.

Additional precincts with over 20% undervotes on election day were:
0028,0030,0033,0044,0045,0074,0085,0088,0104,0121,0130,0142,0143

Additional precincts with over 20% undervotes in early voting were:
0001,0007,0009,0024,0027,0030,0033,0034,0039,0040,0044,0054,0055,0064,0066,0067,0071,0074,
0081,0083,0086,0088,0092,0093,0097,0103,0107,0114,0120,0129,0125,0138,0140,0142,0150

No way were these people who just didn't want to vote in this race,
nor voters simply confused by the ballot design

the voters reported "disappearing votes" that in some cases they could not correct
only programming can do this

[truedelphi]

28. Great statistics, Thanks!

But the disappearing I am mentioning is the way that computer code can be programmed to perform an operation and then vanish off of the hard drive forever without a trace.

[kpete]

5. FL: Suit asks to see inside vote machine

Suit asks to see inside vote machine
By JENNIFER LIBERTO and WILL VAN SANT
Published December 20, 2006


TALLAHASSEE - A Leon County circuit judge is considering whether to force a private voting machine company to reveal the inner workings of its machines.

That narrow question has broad implications for the often tense relationship between public officials that run elections and private companies whose machines actually count the votes.

State law in Florida and elsewhere protects the insides of voting machines from the public eye in deference to voting machine makers, who say such information amounts to a company's trade secret.

But the disputed Sarasota congressional race between Democrat Christine Jennings and Republican Vern Buchanan is challenging that law.

more at:
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/20/State/Suit_asks_to_see_insi.shtml

[kpete]

14. FL: Jennings, Buchanan camps spar over voting machine source codes

Posted on Tue, Dec. 19, 2006
Jennings, Buchanan camps spar over voting machine source codes
DAVID ROYSE
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - An MIT political science professor who is an expert on election systems testified Tuesday that it's statistically unlikely that nearly 13 percent of Sarasota voters chose not to vote in a Southwest Florida congressional race.

A more likely conclusion to explain the unusually high "undervote" is that something went wrong in the preparation of voting machines, the expert, Charles Stewart, told a judge during a hearing over whether Christine Jennings' campaign can get access to computer codes used to program the electronic touchscreen voting machines.

State officials have declared Republican Vern Buchanan the winner over Jennings, a Democrat, by less than 400 votes out of more than 238,000 cast in the race to replace Rep. Katherine Harris in Congress.

But 12.9 percent of voters in Sarasota County did not record a vote in the race - far more than the 2 to 6 percent of voters in other counties in the congressional district who appeared to have skipped the Jennings-Buchanan race. There have been calls for a revote in the race, including one Tuesday by the liberal political group MoveOn.org, which took out a full page advertisement in The New York Times.

more at:
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/breaking_news/16276107.htm

[kpete]

15. FL: Academics argue for review of voting machine source code

DISTRICT 13

Academics argue for review of voting machine source code
By LLOYD DUNKELBERGER


TALLAHASSEE -- In a case where trade secrets and voting rights are colliding, academic experts testified Tuesday that they believe there were enough anomalies in the disputed Congressional District 13 election to warrant a thorough review of the computer codes that control the electronic voting machines.

Testifying on behalf of Democrat Christine Jennings, MIT political scientist Charles Stewart said Jennings would have won the race by as many as 3,100 votes if there had not been an "excessive" undervote in the Nov. 7 election in Sarasota County. More than 18,000 voters went to the polls but failed to cast a vote in the high-profile contest to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Longboat Key.

Based on his analysis, Stewart estimated that of those undervotes, as many as 14,000 were excessive, meaning they exceeded what would normally be expected in such a race.

Republican Vern Buchanan has been declared the winner in the election by a 369-vote margin. Stewart's testimony came at the beginning of a two-day hearing where Jennings is asking a Leon County circuit court to order Election Systems & Software Inc., which manufactured the electronic voting machines used in Sarasota, to disclose the computer codes it uses to operate its equipment. Jennings has argued that a review of the software and hardware used in the iVotronic machines will let her prove that a machine malfunction caused the large undervote, allowing her to seek a new election against Buchanan.

more at:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/NEWS/612200683

[kpete]

6. N.Y.'s reluctance to certify new machines can minimize future election problems.

Vote of no confidence
N.Y.'s reluctance to certify new machines can minimize future election problems.
December 20, 2006



Just when New Yorkers thought they had pulled those old voting-machine levers for the last time, now they find out the old clunkers might have an extended life.

The no-decision by the state Board of Elections last week on certifying new voting machines has put New York so far behind schedule that it is probable that the levers will be back for the November 2007 elections. But that's not a bad thing.

The Board of Elections last week and this week has said testing of the machines that would replace the current ones has not been reliable enough to meet state standards. The law authorizing the new machines requires the state to certify them before individual counties can choose which ones they want -- an optical scan that uses marked paper ballots or the touch-screen variety similar to bank ATM machines.

New York is already under the gun to put the new machines into use. The state missed a Jan. 1, 2006, federal deadline, triggering the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene and speed up New York's compliance with the Help America Vote Act -- known by the acronym HAVA. The state Legislature has approved a HAVA compliance bill that calls for the new machines to be in place by Sept. 1, 2007, but that now appears highly unlikely, given state elections officials' doubts about reliability tests of new machines.

more at:
http://www.stargazettenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/OPINION01/612200320

[kpete]

7. NH: Don't look now but New Hampshire may be casting a blue shadow over the '08 presidential race.

Yankee Republicans, go home!
Don't look now but New Hampshire may be casting a blue shadow over the '08 presidential race.

By Walter Shapiro


Dec. 20, 2006 | CONCORD, N.H. -- You do not pass many Democrats on the way to John Lynch's office, just long corridors of stern portraits of prior New Hampshire governors, each an enduring testament to the state's rock-ribbed Republican past.

But the mild-mannered Lynch, a businessman turned politician, is presiding over the most dramatic revival of the Democratic Party anywhere. The governor's secret weapons are pragmatism, moderation and amiability, a three-part formula unlikely to appeal to the go-for-the-jugular partisans who demand that the Democrats ape Republican tactics. As Lynch put it, "I really go out of my way to be bipartisan in my approach involving Republicans and Democrats. I just try to put partisan politics aside and focus on the issues."

Yet it is difficult to argue with the results. Not only did Lynch coast to reelection for a second two-year term last month with a record-smashing 74 percent of the vote, but the governor swept in with him virtually every Democrat in the state who does not have to report to a parole officer. In fact, when I interviewed Lynch last week, he had just returned from a farewell lunch for the defeated Peter Spaulding, a widely respected Republican member of the state Executive Council. Spaulding was upended by a septuagenarian Democrat so casual about his political prospects that he was vacationing in Belgium on Election Day.

The Democrats had been favored to win back the state Senate (which they last controlled in 1998), but no one anticipated they would also pick up 80 seats to give them a majority in the sprawling 400-member state House for the first time since 1922. And, yes, the state's two congressional seats also flipped from Republican to Democratic. Victorious were Paul Hodes (who won just 38 percent of the vote in his first try in 2004) and Carol Shea-Porter, who ran an aggressive grass-roots campaign to compensate for raising less money than any successful congressional challenger in the nation.

more at:
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/12/20/new_hampshire/

[kpete]

8. America's Two Party System: The Marketing Party and The Product Party

America's Two Party System: The Marketing Party and The Product Party
by Dave Johnson | Dec 20 2006

Co-written by Dave Johnson with James Boyce

We do have a two-party system in America: The Product Party and The Marketing Party. We have one party that spends its energy and its resources creating a product that will improve the lives of its supporters, and then we have a second party, one that invests its energy and its resources managing perception.

One party offers substance but without the sizzle, and one is so incredibly adept at selling that it can charm you into supporting an agenda that helps only those who don't need it, and actually hurts you and your family.

By mastering the management of perception and with an utter disregard for facts and reality, the Marketing Party's agenda and vision gets implemented - despite its horrendous consequences for the country, and the world. It has never been worse than it is now. The chasm between their vision, its consequences and the lifestyle and security of the average American is mind-boggling.

Do not underestimate the power of marketing. With enough money, a good campaign and some time, you really can make people think and do almost anything. Exactly why do you think Coke and Pepsi outsell all the other brands - because their sugar water is vastly superior to others? Exactly why do you think one brand of shampoo is "premium" and another is $5 a gallon - is it because they have different ingredients? No, it is because marketing works, especially on a public increasingly trained to respond.

more at:
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/4085

[kpete]

9. ILL: GOP leader to Vosicky: concede

GOP leader to Vosicky: concede
By Michael Wamble
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Tuesday, December 19, 2006



State Sen. Kirk Dillard called Monday for Democrat Joe Vosicky to “stop goofing around,” end his recount efforts in the race for the 46th House District seat and concede to his Republican opponent.

“The shenanigans here just muck up the waters and waste taxpayers’ dollars,” Dillard said.

Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican and chairman of the DuPage County Republican Party, said a recount already conducted by the DuPage Election Commission changed only one vote in that race’s tally.

“It is very clear that Dennis Reboletti is the winner of his House race,” Dillard said.

Election board results have given Reboletti a 299-vote victory over Vosicky. Both men are from Elmhurst.

more at:
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/dupagestory.asp?id=261660&cc=d&tc=&t=

[kpete]

10. VT: Recount upsets auditor election

Recount upsets auditor election

December 19, 2006

By ROSS SNEYD The Associated Press

BURLINGTON — A recount in the Nov. 7 election for Vermont state auditor concluded Monday, showing Democrat Thomas M. Salmon won by the closest of margins, apparently overturning the re-election of incumbent Auditor Randy Brock.

Salmon, who lost by 137 votes in Election Day balloting, ended up prevailing by 104 votes in the two-week-long recount, in which more than 250,000 ballots were counted by hand in the state's 14 counties. The results have yet to be certified.

Salmon, the son of a former governor, finished with 111,741 votes, compared with 111,637 for Brock, according to vote totals released by county clerks and tabulated by The Associated Press.

The outcome won't be official until Thursday, at the earliest. Washington County Superior Court Judge Mary Miles Teachout must certify the recount after the paperwork is forwarded to the state capital in Montpelier. The soonest a hearing could be held is Thursday, according to a court clerk.

more at:
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/NEWS/612190371/1004/NEWS03

[kpete]

11. PA: Vote recount by hand begins in Chesco

Vote recount by hand begins in Chesco
Democrats, who said they feared delay, were rebuffed in an appeal for a machine recount.
But a judge did set a deadline - Dec. 26.
By Natalie Pompilio
Inquirer Staff Writer


Despite a last-minute attempt to stop it, the manual recount of more than 23,000 votes cast in a critical Chester County statehouse race begins this morning.

With control of the state House of Representatives at stake, Democrats yesterday filed an appeal in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court to stop the hand retallying.

The Democrats sought a machine-driven recount, arguing the manual recount could drag out and leave the West Chester area without a state representative when the legislature reconvenes Jan. 2. That would deny voters a voice in determining the next Speaker of the House, they said.

But the appeal was quickly quashed in an order signed by President Judge James Gardner Colins, who addressed the Democrats' concerns by ordering the Department of Voter Services to conduct and complete a hand recount no later than 5 p.m. Dec. 26.

Earlier this week, the head of Voter Services, Linda Cummings, estimated that a machine recount would take at least six days - which Democrats disputed - and that a hand recount would require seven to 10.

more at:
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/philadelphia_county/philadelphia/16270249.htm

[kpete]

16. MD: Lawmakers focus on voting issues

Lawmakers focus on voting issues
Early ballots, machines are priorities
By Melissa Harris
sun reporter
Originally published December 20, 2006

Legislative leaders are pledging to make voting issues a priority when the General Assembly convenes next month, with members working on a constitutional amendment to allow multiple days of early voting and a solution to alleged security flaws in Maryland's electronic touch-screen equipment.

The push comes after years of tension surrounding the management of the state's elections, numerous federal- and state-mandated changes and distrust among voters after a disastrous September primary, which led to the highest-ever use of absentee ballots in the November general election.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said Assembly leaders presented plans to Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley on Monday and decided that one of the first bills to move forward during the 90-day session would be the constitutional amendment permitting five days of early voting.

Such an amendment is necessary after the state's highest court said in a decision released this month that the Maryland Constitution clearly requires that elections be held on one day and votes be cast in home precincts. The ruling, however, does not apply to absentee voting.

more at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.voting20dec20,0,3594425.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

[kpete]

17. UT: Paper vote may return to towns

Saving cash
Paper vote may return to towns
Smaller municipalities are also seeking to loosen the state's early-voting law
By Matt Canham
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 12/20/2006 12:43:03 AM MST


Most Utah voters liked the new touch-screen voting machines and tens of thousands took advantage of the state's first early voting options.

But for many, these election advances may not be available during next year's municipal contests.
It's a matter of money and practicality.

The state switched to a new - and more expensive - voting system, but cities don't have to. Utahns are likely to vote in a variety of cheaper ways come November. City leaders are also trying to loosen laws, such as the new early voting provision, to save cash.

"I think we all want to have the best election we can for the least cost," said Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert during a meeting Tuesday to discuss options with city recorders and county clerks.

Smaller towns are expected to revert to hand-counting paper ballots, while larger ones are in more of a bind. They could use the touch-screen machines or they could go with cheaper optical-scan ballots.

Most of Utah's 242 cities will either contract with counties, which maintain the machines, or with Diebold, the Texas-based company that sold the touch-screen computers to Utah.

more at:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4870953

[kpete]

18. DNC Convention Announcement Put Off Until 2007

DNC Convention Announcement Put Off Until 2007
By Rachel Kapochunas

The civic boosters hoping to draw the 2008 Democratic convention to either New York City or Denver will have to scratch that wish off their holiday gift lists. The Democratic National Committee (DNC), in a statement issued Tuesday, announced that a decision on the convention site — expected to be made before Jan. 1 — will now have to wait until after the new year.

“Because of the holiday week and at the request of both cities, we will announce the convention city in early January,” spokeswoman Stacie Paxton said.

After the Republican National Committee got a jump in September by announcing that Minneapolis-St. Paul would be the GOP’s 2008 site, the DNC initially indicated a decision would be made shortly after the Nov. 7 election. The time frame first was pushed back to the end of this year, and now into early next year.

But the delay is actually giving a little relief to Denver’s advocates, as a quicker DNC decision might have boded better for New York City. That is because Denver has been buffeted of late with public comments casting some doubts about the city’s viability as a convention contender.

After weeks of buoyantly promoting Denver as the front-runner to host the 2008 Democratic convention, that city’s boosters have hit a snag with organized labor — one that has depressed their hopes that Colorado’s capital will be able to outbid New York City as the convention site.

more at:
http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/12/dnc_convention_announcement_pu.html

[Peace Patriot]

19. Thanks so much, Kpete! Great info!!!

Of special note:

Go, New York! New York RESISTING Bushite bullying to get rid of old, clunky and virtually unriggable lever voting machines, and go with Bushite-corporate controlled electronic voting, run on TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code. New York, you are very smart. And the rest of us need to start kindergarten over.

---

A BILLION DOLLAR PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, projected for '08? Ain't we had enough yet?

---

Here's a lesson for us all: (NH: Salon.com, above)

"And, yes, (New Hampshire's) two congressional seats also flipped from Republican to Democratic. Victorious were Paul Hodes... and Carol Shea-Porter, who ran an aggressive grass-roots campaign to compensate for raising less money than any successful congressional challenger in the nation."

Aggressive grass-roots campaign to compensate for the super-rich controlling all of our political representatives. People power.

Go, people!

[kpete]

20. Venezuela: Chavez Landslide Tops All In US History

December 20, 2006 at 05:09:12

Chavez Landslide Tops All In US History

by Stephen Lendman


Chavez Landslide Tops All In US History - by Stephen Lendman

Well almost, as explained below. Hugo Chavez Frias' reelection on December 3 stands out when compared to the greatest landslide presidential victories in US history. Except for the close race in 1812 and the electoral deadlock in 1800 decided by the House of Representatives choosing Thomas Jefferson over Aaron Burr, the very earliest elections here weren't hardly partisan contests at all as the Democrat-Republican party of Jefferson and Madison was dominant and had everything its own way. It was like that through the election of 1820 when James Monroe ran virtually unopposed winning over 80% of the vote. A consistent pattern of real competitive elections only began with the one held in 1824, and from that time to the present Hugo Chavez's impressive landslide victory beat them all.

The nation's first president, George Washington, had no party affiliation, ran unopposed twice, and got all the votes. His "elections" were more like coronations, but Washington wisely chose to serve as an elected leader and not as a monarch which Federalists like Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and the nation's first Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay preferred and one aligned with the British monarchy. They also were nationalists believing in a militarily strong central government with little regard for the rights of the separate states.

Most of them were dubious democrats as well who believed for the nation to be stable it should be run by elitists (the way it is today) separate from what Adams arrogantly called "the rabble." And John Jay was very explicit about how he felt saying "The people who own the country ought to run it." Today they do. Adams showed his disdain for ordinary people (and his opposition) when as president he signed into law the Patriot Acts (I and II) of his day - the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 to protect the country from dangerous aliens (today's "terrorists") and that criminalized any criticism of his administration (the kind George Bush calls traitorous).

more at:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_stephen__061220_chavez_landslide_top.htm

[kpete]

21. Disclosure versus Snooping: Do 'reformers' know the difference?

Disclosure versus Snooping: Do 'reformers' know the difference?
Published on December 19, 2006
by Brad Smith

File Under: Disclosure

The Federal Election Commission has adopted new guidelines requiring political committees to include more information about the purposes of their various disbursements. It goes without saying that the "reform community" is not pleased. (Is there a grumpier "community" anyplace in America?). This time it's the Campaign Finance Institute (CFI), which seems to think that the purpose of disclosure is to satisfy its own inquisitive nature.

CFI is upset because under the FEC's new guidelines - which, remember are more restrictive than before (no matter how much regulation is passed, the "reform community" never ceases to press on in favor of still more regulation) - "filers can list 'purposes' like 'printing,' 'postage,' 'online services,' 'telemarketing,' and 'direct mail,' without saying whether this spending is for fundraising, voter registration, political messages to voters, web hosting, party events or something else." Well, well - we are on the verge of anarchy, aren't we?

And why, exactly, is this a problem? It appears part of the "problem" may simply be some bruised egos:. "the Commission largely ignored the ... public comments it had received on its proposal, from the Campaign Finance Institute..." It's a tough world out there. We'll note that the next time the Washington Post and New York Times ignore our press releases.

more at:
http://www.campaignfreedom.org/blog/id.136/blog_detail.asp

[autorank]

22. Great work. "Live Free or Die Bold"

January 6, 2005 "Patriots Day" & Boxer's Rebellion.
Capitol Hill, rally at park next to US Senate Office Building
David Lytell, Democrats.Com was speaking.
Title of sign: "Live Free or Die Bold"

[Land Shark]

24. reallly good articles contained in this one, thanks kpete! K&R n/t

[freedomfries]

27. K&R

Thanks kpete!
:patriot: