Will somebody explain this to me? UFPJ petition to pledge to protest

[Goldmund]

This came up in a thread earlier today, and it's sunk -- so I thought I'd start a new thread, because I'm really interested in what people have to say about this.


http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2607

We all remember the votes that were never counted in Florida 2000. So, while we are all working hard for a positive outcome on November 2nd, we also have to be prepared for a repeat of a 2000 stolen election. Below is a pledge for people to sign, supporting efforts to mobilize and protect the vote on November 2nd and making a commitment to protest starting on November 3rd in the case of a fraudulent vote count. By signing this pledge, you will be joining with thousands of others in the November 3rd Urgent Response Network. Please sign the pledge at www.nov3.us and pass it around far and wide.

Tell me if I'm reading this wrong: in case of a "fraudulent vote count", we start protesting on Nov 3rd. Even the domain name of the site is nov3.us.

Now, I'm perfectly aware that after the 2000 experience and the general nature of the Bush/Rove cabal, we need to keep our eyes on everything that goes on, we need to suspect everything, and need to make sure everything's being done fairly -- to the extent we can.

But, Nov 3rd? Do we have a crystal ball? If the vote count is fraudulent, it's likely we won't know that on Nov 3rd. And even if that were not the case, shouldn't protests be triggered by fact revelations -- not by dates, especially not a date that is so soon after Nov 2nd that the only thing we're likely to know on the 3rd is the official vote count, fraudulent or not? Why not pledge to take part in a protest triggered by revelations of illegal activities -- and not simply by a date?

This to me sounds almost like a Rovian plot. If there is fraud, and we protest, they will point to this petition and say "see? They were planning to do this before the election even happened!". This petition may make any legitimate protest of fraudulent activity seem simply like sore loser-ism.

Envision this scenario. We wake up on Nov 3rd, and Bush has won by 15 EV. What then? Do we investigate and then protest (if we reveal anything fishy), or do we protest and then investigate? If the latter -- which seems to me what this petition is suggesting -- then we taint all post-investigative protest activity, IMO.

What say you?