A citizen's reflections on the "Nash-ional" Election Reform Conference

[Kip Humphrey]

April 8-10 2005 will go down in history. It has taken a few days for me to absorb the experience. What follows is my email to Bernie Ellis which I hope conveys my impressions and the conferences impact:

Bernie,
Thanks for the conference. In 30 days, you and the Tennessee Volunteers put together a remarkable, galvanizing event that will be long remembered and appreciated in the fight to regain our democracy. To each of the Tennessee Volunteers, please pass my full appreciation and thanks for their energy, determination, dedication, and a job well done in such a short time.

I was buoyed by the progress reported across the nation in uncovering the facts of fraud in the 2004 election: Like the tips of so many icebergs breaking the surface. More encouraging still, the efforts occurring simultaneously in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, and California (did I leave anyone out?) to reform our election systems so as to stop future stolen elections and return our system of government to its democratic coarse. Each speaker and each attendee had a story to tell of their efforts to win back our country. Whether their efforts were devoted to investigating the election fraud, to developing and pushing election reform legislation, to educating and spreading the word about the loss of our democracy, to protesting the stolen election, or to pursuing avenues to obstruct further erosion of our democracy moving forward, the cumulative effect of the movement is on a very solid foundation, is populated by brilliant and dedicated patriots, and has progressed beyond my wildest expectations in the 5 months since November 2nd and the 4 months since December 12th.

Now, its time to return to the struggle with renewed vigor and insight from the Nashville conference. As Clint Curtis candidly pointed out at the conference, if progressives, democrats, libertarians, and independents will: put aside their personal concerns, issues, interests and differences; come together and work in unison, devoting everything to winning back our democracy, we can succeed in within the year. The message of the conference was clear: we will succeed only on all fronts, using every tactic, pursuing every avenue, leaving no American citizen out. This is the second American Revolution, a peaceful uprising of we the people, and I am proud to recognize and affirm, of the people who attended the conference and all of those who could not, WE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!

On December 12th, I conveyed the following to those courageous citizens who protested our stolen election on the steps of 41 state capitols:

You showed up because our rights as citizens have been trampled.
You showed up because millions of fellow citizens were denied their vote.
You showed up because we have lost the security and sanctity of our ballot box.
You showed up because you want the theft of our electoral process to stop.
You showed up because you want the power of your vote back.
You showed up because you want your democracy back.
You showed up for our children and their future.

On a beautiful spring weekend in Nashville, ordinary citizens, reluctant warriors all, showed up determined to take our country back, whatever it takes. While the road to victory before us appears rocky and rutted, steep and difficult, I am assured: We WILL win.

Thank you, Bernie, for all you do.

Warmest regards and my deepest appreciation,
Kip
51 Capital March

[Kip Humphrey]

1. Repost: Prescription for Victory

From my previous post on DU (with minor edits). Worth another look since it came directly from the depths of my experience at the National Election Reform Conference in Nashville:

1. Recognize that our stolen elections are a root cause that must be addressed before all other issues or concerns
a. For all progressives, democrats and liberals: Put aside differences and different interests and concentrate solely on regaining our votes - do this and we will win this year! (Clint Curtis made this point effectively at the Nashville conference)

2. Inform and educate the American people through alternative channels
b. We did this last year to bring out 64 million voters to unseat George Bush. We can do it again using meetups, teach-ins, alternative news services and local media, phone, email and fax campaigns, etc.

3. Confront and challenge misinformation, misdirection and the wall of silence
a. Do not sit still for the silence and cover-up. Be insistent. persistent, and loud - write elected officials and news outlets, post fliers and signs, talk to your neighbors, wear protest garb (a shameless plug for The Protest Store) be a pest (a good-natured pest). Refuse to lie down and take it; stand up and fight instead!

4. Do NOT trust the powerful
a. Their self-interests supersede those of our country
b. Be suspicious of everything they do

5. Organize and mobilize your community to protest
a. As an outgrowth of educating and informing, give people things they can do and help them do it: spread the word; organized protests; email/phone campaigns; local precinct/county 2004 vote audits; more teach-ins & meetups; directed teach-ins for political party affiliates, schools, election workers and officials.
b. Most local media will cover our cause if you give them something to cover (like a protest, conference, or teach-in)

6. Let your outrage out and channel it!
a. Political correctness will NOT work. Refuse to be appeased until our democracy is restored. This is not subject to compromise.
b. Concentrate on the 64 millions of us who tried to evict George Bush. That's enough to get the job done.
c. Don't leave Republicans out AND don't be subdued by them either. Remember, Republicans had their party stolen before we had our elections, country, and democracy stolen.
d. Don't rely on or wait for the Democratic Party. Many Democratic politicians are NOT on our side and cannot be trusted. In fact, those that obstruct us should be driven from office. The DNC will have to follow if they want to survive.
e. This needs to be a citizen's uprising. Take no prisoners; accept no compromise!

7. Leave the national media in the dark
a. Corporate mass media ignores the truth so ignore them. As our movement grows, they will find themselves out in the cold (where they belong).
b. Local media, alternate media, and grassroots efforts will work in place of mass media schills.
c. Picket and boycott the national media and their sponsors instead. They are whores and, one day, will face a citizen's tribunal to answer to for their crimes against our democracy.

We will win the second American revolution with a critical mass of Americans and by aggressively pursuing every avenue to regain our democracy. This is and must be a citizen's uprising, a second peaceful American Revolution.

[keepthemhonest]

2. Hey Kip I was glad to meet you finally

I loved the conference and made some excellent contacts.

[Andy_Stephenson]

4. And I was glad to meet

you and Kip both...

What a great conference it was.

[keepthemhonest]

6. It was wasn't it?

I came away with a renewed excitment that we have the right people on the jobs. I cannot believe all the varied skills of our movement.I believe that we can accomplish this, like you said we will have to make some noise.

[Kip Humphrey]

7. Andy, you are the greatest...

With a warm heart, strong will, clear head, and selfless attitude.

[Wiley50]

3. Clint Curtis Is Absolutely Right

and I agree with you that his message was the strongest and most useful of all of the information presented at the conference. We need to put everything on the back burner except saving our democracy, come together and whip these sorry, greedy fuckers who have stolen our country! Until we do we cannot make any real progress on our pet causes anyway.
Kip, I truly enjoyed the time that I spent with you and Carol last weekend. It was the single most personal connection and friendship that I made in Nashville. I hope that we get to spend more time together in the future.
You have been a true patriot since your SDS Radical days and are an asset to what this country was meant to be, should and will be again.

Wiley White

[Kip Humphrey]

8. True friendships never fade, even with distance and time

Wiley,
And ours is a true friendship. Hopefully, at our next meeting, we'll have more time to shoot the shit about dem good ol' days. Bernie worked us all hard (thank you Bernie). I'd like to see a 4-5 day conference next time (Phillie) with working groups tasked with drafting working documents and producing tangible results that are reported out to the conference on the last day (or two) and published to the world. We need a couple of nights to carouse at least!

[Amaryllis]

5. kick