BBV.org: Military Draft and CA/WA Litigation - Need Voluteers

[the ether]

From BlackBoxVoting.org


Wednesday March 17, 2004
Youth: Your right to vote means a whole lot more than choosing a president. You might be drafted. No deferrments.
— Bev Harris

If you are in college or high school, please spread the word about Black Box Voting to your friends and to your parents, aunts and uncles, because it is your VOTE that ultimately controls this: Legislation was proposed in the House and Senate (twin bills S89 and HR163) to reinstate the draft as early as June 15, 2005, to apply to both men and women ages 18 to 26 and college deferments will NOT be allowed.

$28 million dollars has been added to the 2004 Selective Service System and the Pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and the 11,070 appeals boards slots nationwide. It appears that both John Kerry and the Bush administration support this action, but you can have an impact by putting pressure on them and by choosing your congressmen. More info available at Common Dreams.

This reminder submitted by one of our Black Box Voting members. Yes, I do read your e-mail — I get several hundred a day, though, and still don't have a laptop, so it takes a while to respond. Your contributions are valuable.

Black Box Voting Actions

And yes, we need donations to keep this going. And I still need a laptop to keep things going while traveling.

Our focal points for January and February were TV exposure for the issue, and litigation. In March, National TV covered the issue 21 times in just 14 days, and this resulted in heightened public awareness. I announced last December that litigation would become our focus, and this is beginning to bear fruit. See two updates on litigation activities -- scroll down for today's, then yesterday's.

Heads up: Upcoming Black Box actions

I use the activism for the Viet Nam War and the Civil Rights Movement as a compass. What is missing from the voting integrity movement are the powerful voices of youth and minority communities. Over the next several months, you will see actions to develop more passion among youth and minority communities for this issue. Do whatever you can do to help, jump right in, don't wait for anyone's permission. Hook me up with the right people, and go out and mobilize on your own.

We've got to work on message for the youth, who often equate voting with lack of choice, believing that it's just for president and that their vote doesn't matter, or that all candidates are the same. Voting, of course, controls environmental policy, the draft, taxes, and selects judges both directly and indirectly. And what good are referendi and citizen initiatives if we can't trust our vote?

Minority communities are split on this issue. Recently, when I did an African-American radio show in Louisiana, a community activist recommended abstaining from voting, as a form of protest.

Why Vote?

As many of you know, my husband is African-American. His people died for the right to vote. I am a woman. My ancestors, the Sufragettes, died for the right to vote. And what if you are a white male? The Patriots, in the Revolutionary War, died for your right to vote. To say that voting doesn't matter dishonors your ancestors and throws away your children's future.

So, this election must show the most massive voter turnout in history. If only to protest, by voting for yourself, go vote. If only to check up on them, by observing with a checklist and reporting anomalies, go vote. If only to test the system by voting for the most obscure candidate on the ballot, then observing whether your vote showed up in your precinct totals, go vote. And by all means, vote for the smaller offices, the ones who will be making decisions on the draft, on the environment, and on the privatization of your local water, and on the judges. Got that? Go vote, and fight for your descendants' right to vote, as your ancestors fought for yours.

Quick update on litigation: I am working with several groups to establish a funded coordinated multi-state set of litigations to protect the vote. I need help. You may recall that by last December, I had already concluded that we were late out of the gate for meaningful legislative reform by November 2004, and that we'd have to get litigation going.

By the way, do not accept the latest theme, which even some voting rights organizations are spouting, that we can't do anything until after the November election. That is unAmerican. "Can't" never did anything, and we've just got to roll up our sleeves and make it happen, folks.

Today's litigation update

OK, lawsuits have been filed in Washington State, California, and Florida (thank you to the honorable Robert Wexler). Now we've got to start sharing discovery materials and get some paid talent to coordinate and create templates for pro bono attorneys in several states. Here's how you can help:

1) We need volunteers to help with a new lawsuit in Washington State, one that may have broad implications. The help needed is to do public records requests and collect materials from other suits against the same manufacturer, along with interviewing and taking declarations for witnesses. Email me at [email protected] if you can help. I will route you to someone else who has already volunteered. We may need a volunteer coordinator, if she can't do that, so that the pro bono attorney on this can interface with just one or two people.

2) We are fixing to serve lawsuits on the following California counties next week: Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda, Marin, Kern, San Joaquin, Solano, Plumas, Fresno, Humboldt, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Placer, Siskiyou, Trinity and Tulare.

-- I can't serve them, because BlackBoxVoting.org is a plaintiff in the suit on behalf of its California members. See the lawsuit here. However, I would like this to be a public statement made by the citizens of California, and will be accompanying you, with a documentary film crew from Great Britain, for some of these; I only have a few days, and can't hit all 18 counties personally, but want to do as many as possible. Please e-mail me at above address if you can muster up a few equally interested parties and would like to serve the papers with me.

3) We will be bringing in the bigger investors/contributors very soon for the national clearinghouse for litigation on this. If you have connections, please contact me privately.