Encouragements

September 28th, 2006

Here’s a Cindy Sheehan I didn’t want you to miss. Then, what the Dem’s are doing to try to protect the vote … it’s late in the Congressional game for this — time is short, and these folks are packing up for recess*. Keep yer fingers crossed.

Jude

*recess — one of those words, in this context, that give you pause. Conjures notes home to Mom and half-eaten peanut butter sandwiches.

Lift Your Head
Cindy Sheehan
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Thursday 28 September 2006
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/092806A.shtml

I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one even at the cost of your life.
~ Mohandas Gandhi

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, having its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
~ Declaration of Independence

71 Peaceful Protestors Arrested at Capitol
Four Peace Activists Arrested at Sen. Charles Grassley’s Office in Iowa
Students, Parents United to Stop Calls From Military Recruiters
AWOL Soldier to Surrender at Army Base
25 Arrested in Front of UN
One Dozen Arrested at Sen. Santorum’s Office

Above are recent headlines which show that North Americans, citizens of the USA, are getting fed up with bowing their heads to the criminals du jour who inhabit our White House.

It has always been our birthright and absolute imperative to peacefully protest our government and to hold them accountable to represent us the way that we want to be represented. Through the Clinton years, when we thought we were peaceful and apparently prosperous, we were lulled into a comfortable complacency. Since 9/11, we have been bullied into being fearful of the boogeyman and our now-vindicated toiletry items that can rejoin us in airplane cabin.

Those of us who spoke out against George and his war were marginalized and demonized. Phil Donahue was fired for being too outspoken, Mrs. Joe Wilson was outed, General Eric Shinseki was forced to retire, vile accusations were leveled against weapons inspectors who dared to say that Saddam had none, etc., etc. Even if we disagreed with the impending invasion, many of us were terrified to say anything lest we be reduced to “focus groups.”

Now it appears that people are not terrified to stand up for peace and justice. I am so proud of America for not buying into the bull crap that if you oppose the illegal occupation of Iraq, then you are exactly like a “Nazi sympathizer.” (Who wants to be equated with Georgie’s grandpappy, Prescott Bush). It makes me proud to be an American, because we are putting our bodies on the line for peace.

It is now the time to stand up and be counted and tell this out of control government of ours that we are withdrawing our consent to be governed by them.

Our dear young people, who made the horrible mistake of joining our military, are being further abused by their lily-livered civilian leadership and having their deployments extended when they never should have been in Iraq in the first place.
Our nation’s National Guard are being asked to perform duties that they never enlisted for and they are also being held hostage to Halliburton in Iraq.

The people of Iraq are being killed for having the unmitigated gall of having been born on and living on top of Exxon’s oil.

Now is the time to rise up. Now is the time to lift our heads and refuse to be bowed by war criminals. Now.

I have a story to share. When I was in Jordan with the peace contingent, meeting with Iraqi parliamentarians, we heard the testimony of a Sheik who is also a respected mullah in Iraq. He told us that members of the US Army broke into his house, raped his wife, beat him severely, and took him to prison, where he was further tortured in compliance with George’s barbaric and cruel policies. All of this happened in front of his teenaged son.

Listening to him describe his injuries and the awful treatment he received from my country, I apologized to him, weeping. No human being should treat another human being so inhumanely. He listened then he said this: “My son’s dream is to get a rifle and climb up onto a rooftop and assassinate Americans. I will tell him that there are Americans like you and encourage him not to do this thing.”

Now, imagine that you are sitting at home with your family. Maybe you are all watching “Dancing with the Stars.” A foreign invader breaks in rapes the mom and beats and hauls off the dad. How would your son feel? How would you feel? Would your family be justified in resisting the violence and repression? Or would you just bow your head and say: thank God for the freedom and democracy these fine people are bestowing on me?

I wonder how much money was spent on the CIA National Intelligence Estimate that reports that George’s war of terror on Iraq is causing Islamic Jihadism to arise. Duh. Any person who thinks knows that committing atrocities on humans only breeds hatred and animosity, not grateful feelings of love and support for one’s oppressor.

We had planes tragically fly into our buildings on 9/11, killing our loved ones and destroying our sense of safety, but they were not flown into the buildings by the babies of Iraq and Afghanistan. What’s the difference between flying planes into buildings and causing innocent deaths and dropping bombs from planes on buildings and causing innocent deaths? It is time to quit repaying hate with hate and violence with violence.

I am so pleased that more people are lifting up their heads against the repression and violence of our government. But it will take all of us. It will take a concerted effort by each and every one of us to finally end the cycle of never-ending death.

Please support Rep. Jim McGovern’s HR 4232 that calls for immediate de-funding of the killing in Iraq.

Come join GSFP and the Camp Casey Peace Institute in Washington, DC, on election day to show BushCo that we are withdrawing our consent to be governed by torturers and killers.

We are fed up. We want our country back. ++

Senators Propose Funds for Paper Ballots to Back Up Electronic Ones
Ian Urbina
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 by the New York Times
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0927-04.htm

WASHINGTON - Three Senate Democrats proposed emergency legislation today to reimburse states for printing paper ballots that can be ready at polling places in case of problems with electronic voting machines on Nov. 7.

The proposal is a response to grass-roots pressure and growing concern by local and state officials about touch-screen machines. An estimated 40 percent of voters will use those machines in the election.

“If someone asks for a paper ballot they ought to be able to have it,” said Senator Barbara Boxer of California, a co-sponsor of the measure with Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconson.

Republican leadership aides were skeptical about the prospects for the measure. It would have to advance without opposition from any senator and then make it through the House in the short time available before Election Day.

Dozens of states are using optical-scan and touch-screen machines to comply with federal laws intended to phase out lever and punch-card machines after the hanging-chads confusion of the 2000 presidential election. Widespread problems were reported with the new technology and among poll workers using the machines this year in primaries in Arkansas, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio and elsewhere.

Local and state officials have expressed concern that the new systems might not be ready to handle increased turnouts. Election experts fear that the lack of a paper trail with most touch-screen machines will leave no way to verify votes in case of fraud or computer failure.

Last week, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. of Maryland, a Republican, joined the skeptics, saying he lacked confidence in his state’s new $106 million electronic system and suggesting that state officials offer all voters paper ballots as an alternative.

The proposed federal bill would provide 75 cents for each backup paper ballot that local officials print. If ballots are printed for half the 27 million voters expected to use touch-screen machines, Ms. Boxer said, her bill would cost Washington no more than $10.1 million.

Barbara Burt, vice president and director of election reform programs at Common Cause, a good-governance advocacy group, said that the bill would have been stronger if it had required precincts to provide paper ballots in federal elections, but that it was a step in the right direction.

“Lack of funding has been the main excuse that local election officials have used to avoid implementing paper precautions,” Ms. Burt said. “This takes that excuse away from them entirely.”

Ms. Boxer said ordering paper ballots in all elections would have been impractical.

“I think Big Brother dictating something to local jurisdictions is a big mistake, because they will balk at it,” she said. “What we’re saying here is that you run your own elections, and we are going to help you run it properly. If local officials don’t take advantage of the option to take precautions, then they’re the ones on the line.”

Brad Friedman, a liberal blogger and longtime critic of electronic voting, said that incentives to print paper ballots would help, but that without a federal mandate some voters would still have no choice but to use touch-screens.

“In the case of many states, such as Florida, there is simply nothing in the state code that allows election directors to provide emergency ballot in the event of machine failure,” he said.

On Thursday, the Committee on House Administration, which has a role in overseeing election procedures, will hold a hearing on whether to require that all voting equipment produce a paper record that lets voters verify how they voted. ++

Kerry-Feingold resolution urges back-up plans for voting machines on election day
RAW STORY
Wednesday September 27, 2006
http://tinyurl.com/h295e

Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John Kerry (D-MA) introduced a resolution urging state and local governments to have back-up systems in place on election day to ensure that every eligible voter who wants to vote is able to, according to a press release obtained by RAW STORY.

“The Senators’ Sense of the Senate resolution notes the difficulties that voters in many states have experienced with new voting technology and urges states to do whatever is necessary to ensure that voters are actually able to cast a vote on November 7, 2006, including providing emergency paper ballots in the event of a voting machine failure,” states the press release.

Excerpts from press release:

#

“We cannot allow the American people to lose faith in the most fundamental aspect of our democratic system – the right to vote,” Feingold said. “Some of the problems we saw this year, like voters in Maryland being told to come back later because the machines weren’t working, are simply unacceptable. A back-up plan as simple as having emergency paper ballots on hand is essential to preventing election day disasters.”

Kerry said, “It’s a disgrace that a Congress and an Administration which talks about exporting democracy around the world ignores the challenges of our own democracy right here at home. We have seen American citizens disenfranchised in our elections for the simple reason that no effective back up system was in place. That’s a national scandal. But here we are, 42 days away from another election, and Congress has again dragged its feet even after we mobilized 35,000 citizens to demand a hearing for our Count Every Vote Act, even after what we saw just this month in Montgomery County.”

“We need emergency action now. That is why I am co-sponsoring the Dodd-Boxer legislation to provide emergency paper ballots and that is why Russ Feingold and I are introducing our resolution today demanding election day back-up plans. We have a duty to ensure that no citizen will be denied the right to vote in 2006.”

Feingold and Kerry are also co-sponsoring legislation with Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) to help states make paper ballots available in case of election day problems with electronic voting machines. Feingold and Kerry introduced the resolution ahead of Congress’ adjournment for the 2006 elections. With the problems some voters have already experienced during primary elections this year, the senators believe the Senate should be on record supporting state efforts to be prepared in the event of problems on Election Day.

Earlier this month, problems with new voting technology were reported in a number of primaries around the country.

PDF copy of Kerry-Feingold resolution can be viewed at this link
http://feingold.senate.gov/FeingoldKerry_Sense_of_the_Senate.pdf

What’s right and good doesn’t come naturally. You have to stand up and fight for it - as if the cause depends on you, because it does. Allow yourself that conceit - to believe that the flame of Democracy will never go out as long as there’s one candle in your hand.
~ Bill Moyers

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Entry Filed under: Political Waves