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Stolen Election? We Won't Put Up With Another "Florida 2k!"

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Resa Harrison

Never before in American history have there been as many claims of voting irregularities and abuses of voter rights as in this past election. While the mainstream media is full of stories about the fraudulent election in the Ukraine, once again they have been amazingly silent about the worst voting failure in our history. This is understandable, when you look at who controls the media outlet in America: large conservative corporations.

Slowly, through a tremendous grass roots effort from the Internet and concerned voters, the truth is inching into the media. Keith Olbermann's reporting on MSNBC has produced accurate reports, and recently C-SPAN broadcast a forum led by Representative Conyers, Jesse Jackson and others in which testimonials of voter intimidation, obstruction, and disenfranchisement were presented, as well as concerns about voting irregularities and voting machine suspicions. An investigation has been launched by the Government Accountability Office, and the Kerry campaign has endorsed the Ohio recount. Cliff Arnebeck and Jon Bonifaz have filed litigation on the statistical anomalies in Ohio. People for the American Way has a lawsuit in the court of appeals in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. And William Moss has filed a lawsuit against Kenneth Blackwell based on nefarious activity on the part of an election official.

Reminiscent of election 2000, which most Democrats believe was stolen by Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris, Tom DeLay's organized protesters, and the conservative U.S. Supreme Court, this most recent election is proving to be an even worse failure. You can bet that if the Democrats had won under these same suspicious and deplorable conditions, Tom DeLay, Karl Rove, and their minions would have blown onto the scene like the perfect storm, with every major news media at their disposal--front page headlines on a daily basis.

The U.S. government has invested over $44 million in challenging the results of the Serbian election and an estimated $14 million into challenging the recent Ukrainian election. But Kenneth Blackwell and the Republicans are complaining the investigation of this election is too expensive and unnecessary. There is no more important area in which to spend our tax dollars than on ensuring our democracy through transparent, free, and honest elections for all citizens.

A bill introduced by Rush Holt into Congress that would require a voter-verified paper ballot or receipt by all electronic voting machines was systematically fought by Dennis Hastert and Tom DeLay, who would not even allow it to come up for a vote for the past two years. So for about one third of the 2004 electorate, the Republican-controlled Congress made sure that there would be no possible audit of the vote. This in itself warrants suspicion.

Indisputable facts are not required to investigate this election. There is reasonable proof of widespread suspicious activity: a break-in at the Kerry/Edwards Headquarters in Ohio; non-auditable, no paper trail Republican-backed voting and tabulating machines; election tapes with signatures found in dumpsters in Florida; 600,000 to 1 odds against the exit poll discrepancies; reams of evidence of anomalous voting patterns; thousands of testimonials of voter suppression and chicanery; over and under counts of votes; partisan election officials; and the list goes on.

Like the Ukrainians, the American public should be protesting in the streets and demanding a full investigation of this past election. We will not be deceived by fraudsters any more. Our democracy is at stake.

Resa Harrison
Aubrey, TX

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION