White House argues to deny voting-rights lawsuits to public

[seemslikeadream]

Posted on Fri, Oct. 29, 2004

By David G. Savage and Richard B. Schmitt

Los Angeles Times


WASHINGTON - Bush administration lawyers argued in three closely contested states last week that only the Justice Department, and not voters themselves, may sue to enforce the voting rights set out in the Help America Vote Act, which was passed in the aftermath of the disputed 2000 election.

Veteran voting-rights lawyers expressed surprise at the government's action, saying that closing the courthouse door to aspiring voters would reverse decades of precedent.

Since the civil rights era of the 1960s, individuals have gone to federal court to enforce their right to vote, often with the support of groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the AFL-CIO, the League of Women Voters and the state parties. And until now, the Justice Department and the Supreme Court had taken the view that individual voters could sue to enforce federal election law.

But in legal briefs filed in connection with cases in Ohio, Michigan and Florida, the administration's lawyers said the new law gives Attorney General John Ashcroft the exclusive power to bring lawsuits to enforce its provisions. These include a requirement that states provide ``uniform and non-discriminatory'' voting systems. They also must give provisional ballots to those who say they have registered but whose names do not appear on the rolls.

``Congress clearly did not intend to create a right enforceable'' in court by individual voters, the Justice Department briefs said.
more
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/10045248.htm

[Beetwasher]

1. Bottom Feeding Scum

Doesn't even come close to describing these filthy fuckers...

[seemslikeadream]

3. Philosophical shift

But some former Justice voting-rights officials and some election-law and civil rights experts said the department's latest position represents a marked philosophical shift. Historically, they say, the department has been aggressive in supporting the idea of private suits as an important tool in fighting discrimination and other ills, even where such rights are not clearly spelled out by legislation.

``Before this administration, I would say that almost uniformly, the Department of Justice would argue in favor of private rights of action . . . to enforce statutes that regulate state and local government,'' said Pamela Karlan, a professor at Stanford University's law school.

She said the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 did not originally include a private right to sue state officials who discriminated against aspiring black voters. The Justice Department backed the idea of private suits, nonetheless, in a test case that ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1969.

In a related development, the Justice Department announced Thursday that it was sending nearly 1,100 federal workers -- more than twice the number of four years ago -- to monitor and observe the election in 25 states for possible violations of the federal voting-rights laws.

...

In addition, the department said it was deploying scores of lawyers and staff from its Civil Rights Division to monitor voting in 58 jurisdictions in other parts of the country, including San Benito County in California. Officials did not explain how they chose those locations, although many are in such battleground states as Michigan, Ohio and Florida.

more
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/10045248.htm

[havocmom]

10. Beetwasher, here is an email from one of the head bottomfeeders:

Email from Racicot to the believers (well, them plus my mole) on this subject. He seems to be trying to ensure some riots here and there but maybe that's just my view of this:

Dear #####,

Just a few short days stand between us and the election. If the activities taking place in battleground states are any indication, our opponents plan a long, bitter, and vicious fight. Let me share just a sample of what is going on across the country today, 6 days before you vote. And let me tell you what else you may expect to see.

We have already seen 35 lawsuits filed in 17 states - some before the first ballot was even cast. So far, the Democrats have failed in their attempts to win this election in the courts, rather than the ballot box.

The shadowy groups aligned against us will stop at nothing, and I mean nothing, to win. That is why we must prepare for every possible outcome next Tuesday. That is why we must have the resources necessary to fight any legal battle. Will you ensure we're prepared?

www.GeorgeWBush.com/Recount

Our offices have been broken into, vandalized, and robbed. Gun shots have pierced the doors and windows of several offices. Fortunately, no one was hurt in those attacks, but unfortunately, when union members stormed an office in Florida, a volunteer's arm was broken.

Our GELAC account (our legal fund, really) can be used to pay for some of the damage done to offices we occupy. More importantly, though, it allows us to pay the costs of a recount. It allows us to guard against the kind of lawsuits we have seen, and which we expect to see in the days after the election.

Those allied against us will not go quietly when the voters speak. They have already made clear they consider the election to be only the opening battle in a much larger war - a war we must also be prepared to fight. Will you make sure we're ready?

www.GeorgeWBush.com/Recount

We do not want to go through another election where the outcome is held hostage by the courts and those who were defeated at the polls try to reverse the outcome through legal wrangling and endless litigation.

We want the people's will, not the will of high-powered trial lawyers, to determine the President. To make that happen, we need you. We need you to make one last contribution to our GELAC fund and help us secure the outcome of this election against those who would use violence, theft and assault as tactics - and those who would use the courts to claim a victory they did not earn.

Please give all you can.

Sincerely,

Marc Racicot
Chairman

P.S. Those who oppose us have already used theft, vandalism and assault as weapons to win this election. Their next stop will be the courts. Will you make a contribution to our legal fund and ensure we have the resources to uphold the vote when the people speak next Tuesday? Please give all you can. www.GeorgeWBush.com/Recoun

[mark11727]

19. The amazing thing (well, not too amazing, considering the source)...

...that SICKENS me is how Racicot (and by extension the rest of the Right), has the gall and balls to accuse the Left of plotting what we already know they're going to do themselves...



...the shadowy groups aligned against us will stop at nothing, and I mean nothing, to win...

...our offices have been broken into, vandalized, and robbed...

...those allied against us will not go quietly when the voters speak...

...we do not want to go through another election where the outcome is held hostage by the courts and those who were defeated at the polls try to reverse the outcome through legal wrangling and endless litigation...

...those who would use violence, theft and assault as tactics - and those who would use the courts to claim a victory they did not earn...



Give me an effing break, and pass the ammunition.

[Zhade]

59. Hell, what they ALREADY DID in 2000!

THEY stole. THEY cheated. THEY mobbed up (Miami-Dade recount, anyone?).

Fucking hypicrotes. They are traitors and scum. They deserve...a nice long jail sentence.

[mark11727]

21. Oh sh*t... I just noticed, I'm past 700 posts...!

when the hell did that happen...?

[primavera]

29. Welcome to the 700 Club

It's definitely a dark passage, but don't worry, it goes quickly.

[JusticeForAll]

68. hahahaaha

I sure hope it goes quickly!

[mark11727]

70. Jeebus, I'm typing as fast as I can.....!

Who'dya think I was, Peggy Freaking Noonan...?

[Beetwasher]

32. Yes, He's Getting Them Riled Into A Blood-Thirsty Rage

Notice the imagery and words he's using- Vicious Fight, War, violence, assault, held hostage etc....Their wipping their base into a violent rage...I'm almost certain their supporters are going to instigate violence this year...

[havocmom]

38. Reminds one of anti-choice preachers waxing rabid about abortion

then acting all surprised & upset when some clinic worker get killed by a member of the congregation, doesn't it?

Am thinking people in some areas need to vote in groups and with cameras and recorders.

[clspector]

36. Help! This e-mail was astro-turfed in my paper today

I just phoned then sent an e-mail to the Austin-American Statesman for running a letter in today's paper nearly identical (in one paragraph -- exactly identical)to this e-mail from Racicot.

I sent them a copy of this post as well as a link to this site - but I told them I would try and get a copy of the original e-mail from you.

Any chance you can help me out?

clspector

[JPace]

42. Like your dog picture.....

[yellerpup]

2. They will do Anything, say Anything to stay in power

Throw the bums out! :dem:

[snippy]

4. They don't even pretend that they are not bigots and racists anymore. n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. It's been their method of operation from the beginning.

They want to control any system which the common man can use to hold them accountable.

I see it at a local level too. The city claims that they represent the public, therefore, the public has no right to question their decisions. And even if they did, the city would claim sovereign rights and not be held liable for anything.

[seemslikeadream]

7. It's is set up

Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens our Democracy
By John Fund

[havocmom]

11. you bet. See my response # 10 with email from Racicot

The man is a threat to America and needs to be made impotent in the political arena

[seemslikeadream]

17. I'll see your bet - The increasing presence of lawyers in elections

Keith W. Carlson

Friday, October 29, 2004

When you have failed to convince the people to vote for you, sue after they vote. If you are afraid they won't vote for you, sue before they vote.

more
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/10/29/EDGIK9I0EJ1.DTL

Charges over voter rights intensify
By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff | October 29, 2004

MIAMI -- Democrats and Republicans in Florida and other battleground states yesterday traded accusations of vote fraud and vote suppression as both parties intensified their rhetorical posturing five days before Election Day.

Democrats in the Sunshine State seized on a report by the BBC that it had obtained a partial list of voters that Republicans intended to challenge if they showed up at the polls, suggesting this was a strategy intended to gum up the polls and discourage people from voting in heavily Democratic areas.

more
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/10/29/charges_over_voter_rights_intensify/

Huckstering at polling places OK for now in Fla.

John M. Glionna
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 27, 2004 06:00 PM

ORLANDO, Fla. - Just when Floridians thought it was safe to go back to the polls, a glitch in an early voting law has turned normally staid polling sites into free-for-alls with banner-waving, brochure-hawking activists harassing voters who show up to cast ballots.

In passing a law to allow for early voting after the 2000 election debacle, state legislators neglected to add a provision to keep political activists and other campaigners at least 50 feet from the polls, as is the rule on normal election days.

Voters have frequently been forced to push past shouting activists. Some poll sites have featured shoving matches among rival campaigners. And many voters are suspicious of official party observers, even though they've been placed at polls to ensure honest results. advertisement

"People were blocking the door, shouting out how to cast your ballot," said Vicki Trovillion, a Republican observer at the Orange County Department of Elections office. "Some voters shouted back, 'I know how I want to vote. Don't you tell me!' "

In an angry letter to Gov. Jeb Bush, the president of the state association of elections supervisors accused overzealous campaign supporters of "creating havoc" for voters and poll workers.

more
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1027campaign-earlyvotes27-ON.html

[Gothmog]

6. This is a total reversal of past precidents

The Bushies do not want the DNC's 10,000 to 15,000 lawyers to enforce the HAWA. This is wrong and the courts will not support Ashcroft on this position.

[FighttheFuture]

54. Ummm.... they've been stacking the Federal benches for awhile...

Don't be to sure the courts will not support this! Also, all Asscrack has to do is delay it enough until it gets to Congress to certify, or not, regardless of the vote.

[Javaman]

8. One more reason to believe, if moron is reappointed,

He and his henchmen will be goosestepping down the Washington Mall.

[UpInArms]

9. these freaks of nature are

attempting to subvert the will of the people and the US Constitution by empowering a central government that ensures that no one will ever have control over their lives and futures.

If we do not rid ourselves of these vermin on Tuesday, we may as well bend over and kiss our asses goodbye.

[Rose Siding]

12. This is WHACK

The GOVERNMENT is what we're trying to protect our rights FROM. This is beyond bizarre. The media needs to get on this now. This is Bush dicking with our most fundamental right. O I could SPIT

[nolabels]

53. They hate us for our freedoms

http://yorick.infinitejest.org:81/1/cards.html

[David__77]

13. So if George Wallace were president in 1968, Blacks would have lost...

...the right to vote in the south. And no one would have been able to enforce the Voting Rights Act because the KKK would have controlled the Justice Department? Is that what they're saying? Of course. But what else could we expect from fascists.

[CBHagman]

14. The White House comment line is 202-456-1111

I think we should also call our elected officials (Bush sure as hell isn't elected) and the DOJ.

[Dalvis]

15. if they are successful....

then it will mean the end of any type of fair elections. They can disenfranchise anyone they want. That's the point where we have to rise up and take back our country by any means necessary.

[Village Idiot]

16. Why would this surprise anyone?

THEY WILL STOP AT NOTHING! They feel that the Presidency is too important an office to leave in the hands of American voters...

GO KERRY, GO!!!

[Rose Siding]

18. Congress shall make no law...

Congress shall make no law respecting...the right of the people....to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

What am I missing here?

*Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[BattyDem]

26. You're not missing anything ...

but the Constitution was torn up 4 years ago ... and our Congress is controlled by Republican slime who refuse to do a damn thing about it! :grr:

[seemslikeadream]

30. And guess who is literally guarding that torn up Constitution?

Diebold, Incorporated is now safeguarding the foundation of America’s history, the Charters of Freedom: the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, in three customized high-tech vaults installed at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. The recently renovated rotunda and re-encasement of the Charter documents is being unveiled to the public on Thursday, September 18, 2003 at 10 a.m.

The archive renovation includes an overhaul of the security system safeguarding the charters, eliminating the steps in the Rotunda so these important documents of American history are accessible to all visitors. The transformation also includes a redesign of the permanent exhibit cases so all four pages of the U.S. Constitution are prominently displayed.

Diebold protects everything from countless amounts of currency, to securing the world’s most precious gem, the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian Institution.

To complement the installation of the vaults, Diebold also installed a state-of-the-art physical security system that allows these priceless documents to be displayed during the day and housed in the safety of secure vaults overnight. Diebold was recently named the country’s second largest security systems integrator by Security Distributing and Marketing magazine.

Founded in 1859 as a security equipment company, Diebold is a world leader in providing physical and electronic security systems and facility transaction products and automatic teller machines (ATMs) that integrate security, software and self-service transactions, providing total systems solutions to financial and commercial markets. Specialized applications include card systems, which can boost productivity, convenience and security in the corporate and college campus environments. Over the past decade, Diebold has also been the primary supplier for all of the country’s

http://www.diebold.com/charters.htm

[RaleighNCDUer]

50. If Diebold is such a successful, respected company with such a

stellar record, Why can't they get their fucking voting machines right?

I've been getting paper receipts from my ATMs for 20 years without a hitch. What makes this so fucking hard?!

[Supersedeas]

20. WH says *sscraft is the only legit litigant--get your frivolous taxpaying

a$$ out of their disenfranchising face.

Apparently, voting rights are NOT that fundamental.
Conservative?


Democracy dismissed.

[enough]

22. The wolves are circling around Democracy's door, teeth bared.

snip>

J. Gerald Hebert, a former chief of the department's voting-rights section, said he was dismayed that the government was seeking to weaken a measure designed to protect voters.

``This is the first time in history the Justice Department has gone to court to side against voters who are trying to enforce their right to vote. I think this law will mean very little if the rights of American voters have to depend on this Justice Department,'' said Hebert, who worked in the department's voting-rights section from 1973 to 1994.

snip>


NO OFFENCE to wolves -- I just mean that these guys are showing who they really are, and what they have in mind.

[Mojambo]

44. Clearly, "Freedom is on the March"

:eyes:
:puke:

[BattyDem]

23. Why isn't this info in an ad?

DNC, 527s, anybody ... get this out there. The media sure as hell won't! Run it in those states - let those people know that King George is going to stop them from voting and he's trying to get the courts to back him up! What kind of an "American patriot" does this shit? Why would anyone still vote for him? :grr:

[rentogen]

24. setting a new standard of evil

[Angrillori]

25. This gets the biggest puke-rating yet from me!

"But in legal briefs filed in connection with cases in Ohio, Michigan and Florida, the administration's lawyers said the new law gives Attorney General John Ashcroft the exclusive power to bring lawsuits to enforce its provisions."


WTF?

I repeat

WTF?

So, the repubs could use HAVA to deny EVERYONE they didn't like the ability to vote, and then, the only one protecting the rights of those the repubs. hate, would be the repubs.?

Is that an accurate assesment?

A repub. "poll challenger" could prevent every single African American who comes to vote from actually voting, and then it would be Ashcroft who would be charged with choosing whether to defend their rights or not?!?!?

THAT's putting the fox in charge of the henhouse!

I seriously hope * hasn't packed the courthouses enough to get this ok-ed!!!

[BattyDem]

31. Don't worry ... we'll take it all the way to the Supreme Court and ...

oh shit! :-(

[progressivehere]

33. Coup

Clearly, we're witnessing nothing less than a coup underwsy.

[Bridget Burke]

34. The coup happened in 2000

They're just trying to make it permanent.

[primavera]

27. What a shock

Republicans trying to disenfranchise voters, now there's a novel concept... not.

[young_at_heart]

28. King George and Ashcroft will do whatever it takes

Power and influence.......forget democracy!

[Zorra]

35. The DOJ? Bwaaahaaaahaaaa. Ashcroft is a BAD COP. Compromised

beyond belief. The Justice Department will end voting in the US forever if Bu$h gets 4 more years.

Make no mistake: This is a "nazi" move. Republicans really are "nazis".

Give them 4 more years and they will be imprisoning and executing innocent Americans by the thousands.

[sam sarrha]

37. So, its 1936 and you just got kicked in the nuts for the first time by a

Jack Booted Brown Shirt waving a Bible.. what do you do now.???? !!!

[atreides1]

57. Simple

Take my 9mm and provide them with the open mind that they have denied themselves.

What do you do?

[FlaGranny]

39. Oh, God!

There is nothing else to say.

[ezekiel333]

40. Nov 3rd

<http://nov3.us/>

[mondo joe]

41. "Only the fox can bring suit to protect the rights of the henhouse"

Right.

[Catfight]

43. Wow, Bush denying more rights...there's a new one (sarcasm). nt

[Steelangel]

45. Oh my god! No fuckin' way!

[NoBorders]

46. my god, are they not asking for friggin massive civil chaos???

Can you imagine, if thousands of people who are disenfranchised cannot even take their complaints to a court, and have to rely on bush* admin lawyers to act on their behalf??? wow.

[camero]

47. Republicans subvert democracy and human rights

again.

[enough]

48. kick

[Festivito]

49. If they lose they hope we'll forget, If they win they stack SCOTUS.

Either way they can drag the lawsuit out longer than Martha Stewart's or Ken Lay's.

[RaleighNCDUer]

52. We better not forget, the way we did under Clinton. 41's pardons

didn't reach nearly as many people was were involved in Iran/Contra, BFEE, S&L scandal, etc. There were a lot of people we could have gone after, people who are now running things, but we were magnanimous in our victory.

After Kerry wins we need to purge these assholes -- we need to see indictments and jail time. We need to cripple these bastards so that next time there is a Republican win it will be on Republican principles, not on neo-con, neo-imperialist, neo-fascist, Dominionist princ (sorry, principles is not the right word...they have no principles) ideologies.

on edit -- I meant BCCI, where I wrote BFEE, but it does not seem inappropriate, so I'll let it stand.

[Festivito]

62. Look for R's to trade investigations for our health care.

I think Clinton had to drop Iran/Contra investigation in order to win over Congress for his agenda. They thanked him by trying to destroy him and our democracy. They need to be adjudicated wirh fair trials and harsh sentences.

[Paradise]

51. Now they're really pushin' it! n/t

[kayell]

55. Only the fox should be allowed to guard the hen house. Typical BFEE logic

[natrat]

56. survey says

Fascism

[Zhade]

58. FUCK THAT. You try to stop us, we march.

You lose.

You go to prison.

If there is a God, you hang for your treason.

[goforit]

60. Isn't this called a Tyrranical Fascist State????

[ezekiel333]

63. Yes

Yes it is. Time to call a Fascist a Fascist.

[suegeo]

61. This is awful news

As I alter my clocks this week-end, is there anyway to set them all to "5 minutes until storm the bastille" o'clock?.

[ibegurpard]

64. This belongs on the Homepage

I nominated it.

[OutsourceBush]

65. Bastard NAZI sh*t heads, what f*cking country am I in, I forget!

[harpo]

66. OMFG

:mad: :puke: :wtf: :freak: :hurts: :grr: :tinfoilhat:

[Rose Siding]

67. Here's an LATimes link

http://www.latimes.com/news/yahoo/la-na-votesue29oct29,1,361122.story

(I couldn't get to the one in the original post anymore)

[noamnety]

69. "one person/one vote is obtrusive"

-- Charles Pickering, Sr., Judge, 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, appointed by Bush.

[jambojonusa]

71. What are We Going to DO if the Bushies Try to Steal the Election (Again) ?

What I can figure from the best data that is available is that, John Kerry will win the Presidency. Unless......the election gets stolen....again.

From what I'm seeing being reported (the news reporting of GOP dirty tricks and shenanigans is getting pretty thick), this is a very distinct probability.

A clear Bush win would be one thing. Unlike the Republicans, if it was a fair fight and we lost, I'd accept the dismal fact of another four years of unending Republican rule and work on hunkering down and surviving it...and working doubly hard to beat them in the next election. (But there never is and never has been anything fair about a strongarmedthugmantakingover.)

Fair? It doesn't appear to be shaping up that way. Does it?

What this posting is all about is the big What If?

In this worst case scenario, which appears to be a distinct possibility, the question would then be-

What Are We Going To Do About It? So who has the contingency plan?
And how can I help?

In 2000, the Dem leadership wasn't ready for this and essentially wimped out.

It doesn't look like that is the case this time around. Good.

However, Kerry will need our help if that's the case, as much as he needs it now. Sitting at home glued to the TV and screaming about it is not a good answer. So what is?

There are some who are calling out already, to take to the streets if need be.

What other choice would there be but a popular massive uprising?
Without the backing of We the People redressing a grievance out on OUR streets, the courts would almost certainly end up giving it to the victory to Bush again.

If it came to that,our man Kerry will need popular back-up.

These next two links are posted elsewhere on DU.
My thanks to those who posted them. For if it came to another stolen election they will become incredibly relevant.

The people behind them are prepared for such a moment.

http://nov3.us /

So sign the pledge aye? Along with some of America's staunchest luminaries for our freedom. That we will, in the eventuality of another stolen election, take to the streets. There is strength and power in numbers. It would have to be massive in order to have any effect on an uncaring powerful elite. This site also has an Directory of Local Actions page, where you can see what's happening in your area.

also there's:
http://www.floridapatriots.com /
near site. Makes me proud to be an American.

Here's another link. Its to an article, an appeal about "Getting Physical" by Tom Hayden that is if nothing else, eloquent.

http://www.regimechangeguide.com/articles/act_gettingph...

For anyone concerned about this election turning sour, please go read it all. Excepts follow.

For those of you who don't remember or were too young to remember, Tom Hayden is a former Yippie (Y.outh I.nternational P.arty) "agitator and a ringleader" in the Chicago Democratic Convention antiwar demonstrations in 1968. He was one of the infamous Chicago 7 to be tried for conspiracy against the US Government along with Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. Then he went on to become a Democrat California assemblyman. Former husband of Jane Fonda... He has something forceful to say and something important to ask about this election:

excerpts from-Getting Physical:

"Not since the 1930s have the labor, civil rights and peace movements been this unified in a presidential campaign, and almost never before have the raw realities of power been so flagrantly exposed behind the showcasing of democracy American-style.

<snip>

It will get worse in the days ahead. Many Americans will have to push their way through the resistance of Republican operatives seeking to obstruct the right to vote. I predict it will get physical.

Remember the white riot staged by Republican congressional staffers, many of them flown in on Enron jets, to shut down the Florida vote count in 2000? Remember the Democratic leadership cautioning Rev. Jesse Jackson not to lead militant demonstrations that month? Remember the pressure coming from the highest levels to achieve "closure" and "stability" rather than prolong the battle over who won Florida?

The Republicans learned all over that November that force and intimidation work. It's happening all over again.

<snip>

This time elements of the Democratic coalition are prepared to fight back, unlike 2000.

<snip>

Republicans know that victory depends on impeding turnout, that the important thing is to interrogate people of color, the elderly and students, drive them away from the polls by any means necessary, drown the complaints with a drumbeat about whiners, and leave it to the courts.

This is a moment of truth. It has been an ideological maxim for many on the Left that the vote is meaningless, a diversionary reform at most. But if the Republicans are willing to use any means to suppress the vote, especially among people of color, how can any progressive person be indifferent any longer? The fact is that systematic efforts are underway to repeal the right to vote for thousands, even millions, of Americans whose ancestors fought and secured it, or so we are taught to believe.

Let us concede the point that the vote has been hollowed out by the power of money, the seduction of personality, the oligarchical arrangement of the parties, the growth of clandestine decision-making. But the very effort to render the franchise meaningless reveals its potential for changing the social order. The promise that every person is equal in the ballot box is feared as a precedent that could get out of hand in a society founded on so much inequality.

<snip>

In the unfolding confrontation, millions of Americans are learning the profound lesson that the right to vote is not secure, that plans to steal elections are made at the highest levels of authority.

<snip>

On Tuesday at least, the traditions of civil disobedience and electoral politics may converge. What are Democrats going to do if long lines of voters are blocked? E-mail John Ashcroft? Are newly-politicized protestors going to forget about their confrontational tactics for the day, or use them against the Republican bullies? What are trade unionists supposed to do when a Republican pushes or punches someone trying to vote? What are defenders of democracy to do when the whole world is watching Republicans approach the election like a seizure of power? What will happen when it's too late for the lawyers and the foul deed is done again?

If Republicans stand in the way of democracy Tuesday like reincarnations of old George Wallace or Ross Barnett, it should be time for the movement to say once again: move on over or we'll move on over you."

end quote

Really, I doubt very much whether Tom Hayden would give a damn if the entirety of this short powerful appeal were posted here.But I'm following the DU rules. Please, its worth the read. Then give the implications serious thought.

Here's a disclaimer:
I realize and understand that DU cannot be used for organizing events. I am not trying to do that.
With that said...there's a lot that anyone that feels this burden can do.

Such as:
Contact your local Democratic Party headquarters and other sources of organised activism and inquire if they have contigency plans.
They need our letters. They need to know they have our backing.
And that if need be we will be out there with or without them.
Discuss the emerging crisis with you local network. etc...
Start making plans...just in case.

From the posts that I have been reading, this bunch shows a lot of creative genius. I'm betting that there are veterans of past political battles willing to clock in on what they have experienced with the "street side" of the democratic process.
We'll figure it out.

If necessary, to protect the sancity of the vote, the same enthusiasm that we are bringing to the polls may need to be brought to the street. Are we ready for this? This kind of shit can get grim. However as Hyden pointed out, we may have few other choices.

If it comes to this, the best of luck in everyone's ongoing attempts at saving American Democracy.

[Carolab]

72. Can someone tell me if

massive protests, in the streets, could be grounds for declaring martial law? When I read FEMA, it scares the crap out of me. Does anyone know the particulars?

[seemslikeadream]

74. Great post jambojonusa

but this link is not working. I'm going to repost this in GD since you can't start threads yet, so fix the link soon please

http://www.regimechangeguide.com/articles/act_gettingph ...

[jambojonusa]

76. Hope this works Trying again to repost a link to- Getting Physical

It did it again! But then I'm new around DU. The link looks to be too long, so I'll try it without the http. Anyone intrested in reading it can paste it in.

www.regimechangeguide.com/articles/act_gettingphysical.php

[seemslikeadream]

77. Let's try this one more time jambojonusa

Do you "copy and paste" the link

left click on link, highlighting with the right click, choosing copy and then pasting it here by left clicking here, right click and choosing paste.

or typing?

[jambojonusa]

79. arrgh damned link thingie

lessee. really, this should be a simple procedure.

in answer to your question, I have been copying and pasting it
i'll try that again

http://www.regimechangeguide.com/articles/act_gettingphysical.php

and then i'll try typing it-

http://www.regimechangeguide.com/articles/act_gettingphysical.php

or....waddafuck. this will work.

...here's dropping the http and the www. part of the address and doing this as a url but not a hyperlink. just add the first part in the address window.

regimechangeguide.com/articles/act_gettingphysical.php

that should work. if it doesn't work this time, i quit. email me and i'll send it.

what? does DU have a length limit on links? Some programs do.
Does anyone know how to go about correcting this problem?

hey thanks for your patience and thanks to the good human who intends to give this article more coverage. it could use it.

lately probably like a lot of other people, I have mainly been
1. watching the news and polls in the battleground states
&
2. keeping an eye on election theft coverage.

until Kerry has it in the bag, I'm on red alert.

...got2gjet

am almost out the door for one last day canvassing door to for the local Dem party. & I'm registered Green!

doesn't matter much to me.

the Dem's in San Diego have a wonderful lady, Lori Saldana with a very fine environmental track record trying to keep her seat. The GOP and big tobacco companies have ganged up on her and trying to unseat her....lieing about her record...nasty smear campaign. But she's looks to be able to beat them back. I friggin hate the GOP with a passion. nazi-infested lice on the body politic.

she needs to be cloned and handed out to every state.

this election is important on every level.

[seemslikeadream]

80. It's working now

I started a thread in GD go give it a kick and correct the link there
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2568348

[DeepModem Mom]

73. Could the writing on the wall be any clearer than this?

Wake up America!

[jambojonusa]

75. Fixed the link to- Getting Physical

Thanks for pointing the glitch out. Dunno what happened. Prolly just plain burnt and tired...poor editing job anyway. Its a good piece of writing. In times like this it needs circulation.

http://www.regimechangeguide.com/articles/act_gettingphysical.php

[doubleplusgood]

78. Bush: I like big government

...when it helps me stay in power