Replies: 61 Comments
Comment #1: Michael DeFreitas said on 4/21/05 @ 4:28pm ET...
Thank you so much, Representative Conyers.
Your devotion in this matter gives me hope for this country that we all obviously love so dearly.
Comment #2: maxie said on 4/21/05 @ 4:28pm ET...
Thank you Rep.Conyers!! You are a great man.I am hopeful that Pastor will continue to be up front with you and that Mr.Carter will take our concerns to heart and work toward Mr.Baker being replaced.Keep up the good work,God Bless You.
Comment #3: brent said on 4/21/05 @ 4:34pm ET...
Thanks for keeping your hand in play, Mr. Conyers. I admire the work you've done exposing the 04 election.
Comment #4: Helga Scow Stern said on 4/21/05 @ 4:56pm ET...
Good work, Rep. Conyers. Let us hope that this openness persists and is genuine and evident from here on in the work of the commission.
Comment #5: George said on 4/21/05 @ 5:03pm ET...
Dear Congressman Conyers,
Please ask Dr. Pastor for WRITTEN assurance that your 2004 Ohio Presidential election report will be CONSPICUOUSLY discussed at the panel's next meeting. It would also be constructive to explore Curtis/Lemme/Feeney matter to its logical conclusion.
Comment #6: Nana said on 4/21/05 @ 5:05pm ET...
Thanks for all your hard work. I am pleased that Dr. Pastor...reconsidered. The fact that you are on the case brings me peace of mind.
Comment #7: Andy Stephenson said on 4/21/05 @ 5:16pm ET...
Thank you Congressman. YOU ROCK!
Comment #8: jen said on 4/21/05 @ 5:19pm ET...
Excellent news Rep. Conyers! We will respect Dr. Pastor's request to send future emails to the appropriate address. I'm sure we probably clogged up his inbox yesterday! You guys are doing such great things for us all - please know if you ever need us we're here and ready for action! Thank you!
Comment #9: Jeff J said on 4/21/05 @ 5:37pm ET...
Congratulations Congressman Conyers! What a great victory for democracy it is that you'll participate in the National Election Reform Commission. Knowing that you're involved with this group adds considerable credibility to it's mission, assuming that your concerns are taken seriously and real solutions to them are included in the Commission’s final recommendations.
The fact that Mr. Baker remains as co-chair leaves me skeptical that honest election reform will actually come out of the Commission's recommendations, but I feel that at least my best interests are being represented with you being on the Commission. I find it unbelievable that it took so much prodding to get them to invite you, especially with all the first-hand experience you have and intimate knowledge of all the dirty tricks that took place in the 2004 Presidential election.
One glaring issue that I have not heard any official body discuss are the criminal actions of Kenneth Blackwell, the Ohio Secretary of State, who so overtly manipulated election-related issues in favor of President Bush. It seems to me that this man must be held accountable for his actions. After all, he’s an elected official whom we entrusted to ensure that honest and accurate elections took place under his supervision. When asked to account for his actions, he speaks as though he is above the law, but I’ll bet thousands of Ohio citizens would beg to differ with him. I think it would be appropriate to charge Mr. Blackwell for the crimes he committed, or at least impeach him on the basis of the high crimes he perpetrated on the citizens he’s in office to protect.
Best of luck Congressman, and thank you so much for all your hard work to effect real election reform in our country. You have my vote of confidence.
Jeff J.
Comment #10: Stan Ford said on 4/21/05 @ 6:22pm ET...
Representative Conyers,
This has been a hopeful week for Democrats and all Americans who have been feeling unrepresented in the American political process.
Brad Friedman's blog which I have just recently discovered, has raised my level of interest in the Election Reform debate and I appreciate his and your dogged efforts to speak for those of us who feel disenfranchised.
It is very scary and intimidating living just 15 miles outside of Texas U.S. Congressional District 22 in an almost solid red state. Efforts like this inspire us to keep fighting.
Thank you,
Stan Ford
Houston, TX
P.S. Please tell your web design team that this comment input window that aligns text column right is disconcerting (maybe not if you're typing in Hebrew) and seems inappropriate for a Great Democratic Statesman.
Comment #11: Susan said on 4/21/05 @ 6:28pm ET...
No! Rep. Conyers should BE ON THE COMMISSION! Nothing less!
It is not a balanced commission when it has started out by blaming the victims by taking "non proof" of voter fraud, instead of proof of fraud ON VOTERS.
Comment #12: David E said on 4/21/05 @ 6:31pm ET...
Representative Conyers,
Thank you for your tireless work on this issue. They can not ignore us, for we speak the truth...
Sincerely,
David Fisher
Comment #13: Grizzly Bear Dancer said on 4/21/05 @ 6:38pm ET...
Aye Johnny,
Bush cheated in 2 elections. Sometimes i think you're a modern day lighthouse beaken in a violent rough sea of darkness. Nice that they got around to inviting you. I would like you to compile a list about all the bushit damage that the George W Bush administration has done in his 2nd term so far. Don't forget to include the facade of a legitimate Presidential Election made possible by controlling the American mass media and the Olympic Dive of John Kerry. Also include the Congressional bills that deceive the American people about the truth on issues that effect their lives and the world, as well as the lies about Iraq. Finally don't leave out how he changed the rules of forestry. For his profit, the destruction of our wild lands,forests, and the environment for his corporate timber, gas and oil/religious agenda. At least the next time around it may be harder for the next Bush (Jeb) to steal another election with Blogs like Brad around and www.freepress.org if the bastards don't outlaw this form of communication.
Comment #14: JimO said on 4/21/05 @ 6:39pm ET...
My email just posted to Dr Pastor
Dr Pastor,
I know that you have received many notes like this, but want to personally register my dismay that James Baker III, architect of the plan to halt the Florida vote recount in the 2000 presidential election, and principals of ACVR, a Republican-staffed organization masquerading as an "independent" election reform advocate, are participants in your Election Commission, while champions of the cause, like Congressman John Conyers, are left sitting on the sidelines.
At this point, offering an active role to Congressman Conyers would miss the point, which is that the Commission is already stacked with Republican partisans with a history of sweeping election reform investigations under the rug. If the Commission does not remove partisans like Baker and provide air time to those who have actually investigated allegations of election fraud, any result your commission produces will have no credibility.
I realize that your Commission is independent, but to outward appearances, this seems to repeat the pattern of administration-controlled "investigations" that either severely limit scope, divert attention to secondary issues (e.g., "voter fraud" instead of "election fraud"), and/or appoint chairs who have free reign to kill topics and ignore voices that could be embarrassing to their patrons.
What America needs, whether you agree that your commission should provide it or not, is election reform that delivers watertight verification of voter intention, with audits at every step of the way, including voting machine and tabulator code and change control procedures. Only when experts on both sides can agree that the opportunity for fraud is largely eliminated will trust in our election system be restored.
Sincerely,
Comment #15: alizaryn said on 4/21/05 @ 6:40pm ET...
This is GREAT news! I can exhale now that I know that you are involved!
Comment #16: Dr. Alan H. Levinson said on 4/21/05 @ 6:46pm ET...
I could not be more proud of your determination and steadfastness in the face of immense odds. You are truly a wonderment in a society that all too easily sits by and watches decay eat away at all good things.
With your input, Mr. Carter's sense of fairness (I assume), and now the possibly that Mr. Pastor has your ear, at least gives hope to some positive changes for the future.
Beyond all hopes, I would love to uncover what has been known to all of us for the past 5 1/2 years, that the 2000 elections and subsequent 2002 and 2004 elections were falsified. I am clueless what that would actually mean. If Jeb and/or Katherine Harris were found to have fixed the outcome in Fla., or if Blackwell and others created/allowed fraud to occur in Ohio, what would happen to Bush?
Regardless, one day at a time!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
Comment #17: Kathy Stone said on 4/21/05 @ 6:51pm ET...
Dear Rep. Conyers;
It's very good news that Dr. Pastor has reached out to seek your expertise and leadership.
It is to his credit that he listened to the many thousands who contacted him and voiced our concerns about the eroding electoral process.
P.S. We need paper ballots!
Comment #18: Kira said on 4/21/05 @ 7:21pm ET...
Dear Representative Conyers,
Thank god you got your foot in the door! You are our David vs Goliath, and we are behind you 100%.
Why isn't Chuck Herrin http://www.chuckherrin.com/hackthevote.htm vested with a great deal of power/influence on this Commission? They are dead set to automate our voting system nationally, across the board yet we are not technologically able to insure against massive fraud. How can this Commission be making these kinds of decisions without a computer security expert in place on the board? (Not some shill, mind you - that's why I recommend Chuck Herrin, he's proved himself to be non-partisan.)
Thank you for all you're doing for our country!
Peace
Comment #19: Kira said on 4/21/05 @ 7:26pm ET...
One more thing - I believe we must oppose the intent to Federalize/Centralize/Nationalize our elections systems which would take even more power out of the hands of We the People.
It already appears that the government elects itself.
Comment #20: Dana Smaller said on 4/21/05 @ 7:29pm ET...
Dear Rep. Conyers-thank you for your courage,persistance, and insight. Thanks also for your ability to communicate the issues concerning the 2004 elections to the American voters. I have so many questions about our last national election, especially the results in Ohio. I'm from Washington state-and the Republican party here is going over the results from the very close governor's election with a fine tooth comb.
Comment #21: Steve said on 4/21/05 @ 7:29pm ET...
Dear Representative Conyers-
I can't thank you enough for all you have done and are doing on our behalf and in behalf of our fragile democracy. I am ashamed that I have not conveyed this to you previously, in some fashion, because it has been my feeling for some time. I follow your words and actions through your blog and especially through the BradBlog and Velvet Revolution. You, Brad, some of your colleagues and several progressive blogsites are the true heroes of an unfolding revolution. It has been remarkably ignored by the mainstream media but I have a feeling that will be changing soon with patriots like you continuing to lead the charge to preserve our democracy. Thank you for being the voice of the people!
Sincerely,
Steven Viele
Comment #22: Gary Donaldson said on 4/21/05 @ 7:39pm ET...
This is one fight we cannot afford to lose. Thank you for your persistence.
Comment #23: Phyllis Huster said on 4/21/05 @ 7:47pm ET...
Please notify Dr. Pastor that citizen attempts at Elections data in Georgia was met with patriot act language and that OPEN GOVERNMENT and OPEN COMMISSION hearings is a must. ADVOCATE full citizen involvement and a 4th Commission Hearing solely dedicated to Citizen sharing of EVIDENCE such as we have collected in GA from 28 counties we purchased using 10K of our own money to begin a full Audit of the 2004 Georgia elections. For results of these audits see my website at www.countpaperballots.com
We will be civil and write email to CDEM@american.edu as long as we hear that our emails and our very significant AUDIT findings are being read and honestly considered in the commission hearings....
Comment #24: Barbara Bellows-TerraNova said on 4/21/05 @ 7:59pm ET...
Dear Representative Conyers:
You are a true American hero. Thank you.
Are you aware that The Carlyle Group, with which Mr. Baker has been so involved, owns a company called Qinetiq, formerly a part of the British Ministry of Defense, which is trying out electronic voting in Ireland? Please check the article "British firm with defence links to test e-voting system" dated April 16 in The Irish Times.
Beware of James Baker. There is always an ulterior motive and his lawyers are everywhere.
My sincere appreciation to you, Rep Stubbs Jones, Senator Boxer and Brad.
Comment #25: Jay Crugar said on 4/21/05 @ 8:04pm ET...
Represenative Conyers,
This commission must call for the removal of James Baker III and Ralph Munro, or the credability of its reform efforts is denied.
I have seen heinous evidence now, and documented by friends of mine of a plot to discredit elections by blaming it on voter fraud.
The voters are not to be trusted anymore, and are ruining elections! It would be horrible if this punk who thinks he is Joseph Stalin, called our false president, tries this ridiculous ploy!
I hope he cowers back in fear, because the American people will now have this happen again! It is clear how disastrous this scheme is to make it possible for republicans or even independants to rig the voting of this country.
Kenneth Blackwell lays blame to the board of elections, and takes no blame himself. I say the investigation should include Blackwell's crimes, and at the very least his impeachment for his crimes. He swore to protect his community, and he did nothing of the sort instead he helped the theocrats rig the voters.
Comment #26: ljm said on 4/21/05 @ 8:18pm ET...
Good to know you are on the case!
Comment #27: Alison said on 4/21/05 @ 8:23pm ET...
Dear Rep. Conyers,
Thank you so much for being on the case. I know you have heard it before, but you are truly an American Hero. Thank you.
Comment #28: spoontheclown said on 4/21/05 @ 8:23pm ET...
Representative Conyers,
At last there will be some common sense and truth in regards to the commission. I do hope you prevail in your (our) attempt to remove Baker. If he is removed, then maybe, just maybe, the truth will emerge that the last two elections were stolen and the smear on America's honor might be removed.
Thank you so much. And if you are ever in Eureka, California, stop by for a cup of tea. Have a happy.
Comment #29: Rasta Billy said on 4/21/05 @ 8:36pm ET...
Dear Rep. Conyers,
It is most gratifying to have you "on the case" and I have great admiration for President Carter. However, the intent of enpowering this commission is clear. The administration ignored all legitimate voter rights groups and recognized only proxy, last- minute groups organized by GOP operatives. This is just another cynical co-opting of what would have been an important investigation. Watch and see: Bob Pastor will snowball, sideline, sandbag, and generally stall you until they have accomplished what they set out to do. Remember, we only get one shot at this and the media is ignoring the commission; news of a commission looking into the 2004 election would imply there really were problems.
Sincerely,
Rasta
Comment #30: Terry Wahls said on 4/21/05 @ 9:07pm ET...
I am grateful that we have you "on the case". We need your resolve and persistence. They will make every attempt to bury this and keep the mainstream media from reporting any criticisms to the public. Somehow we need the intense bright light of true investigative reporting on this. How could this country have wasted so many millions with Ken Starr on investigations that were about personal issues - when we choose to ignore investigating the heart of our democrcy - the effectiveness of our electoral process.
Comment #31: Melissa G said on 4/21/05 @ 10:15pm ET...
Thanks Rep Conyers! You are Great!
Guess Dr Pastor heard the voicemail I left him yesterday...
He needs you on the committee though and Baker OFF. I will be emailing him to that effect at the preferred address since it is you asking.
If this alleged investigation does not improve dramatically rest assured 60,000 plus activists are likely to be at your beck and call to do our best to improve matters.
You have only to ask as you are our HERO!
Comment #32: Susan E. said on 4/22/05 @ 1:22am ET...
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Congressman Conyers!!! I couldn't think of anyone better to assist us in this battle. You are a true hero.
Comment #33: Neal Austin said on 4/22/05 @ 4:30am ET...
Thanks Rep. Conyers! You are a true hero...thanks for fighting the good fight!
Comment #34: Scott Zuniga said on 4/22/05 @ 5:39am ET...
Bless you Rep. Conyers for all your hard work. I cannot express how relieved I am to hear that our concerns have been heard and are being addressed to ensure a fair election for every American regardless of party affiliation. We should never be complicit with a fraudulent voting system by simply doing nothing. You are indeed a great American and I look forward to reading about your progress with the election reform commission.
Comment #35: Steve Bremner said on 4/22/05 @ 7:42am ET...
Thank you Congressman Conyers. I'm a great admirer of your relentless pursuit of the truth. As a computer programmer I'm especially alarmed at the secret source code of the GEMS servers in the Diebold voting machines. Why are there three (!) duplicate databases in the configuration, unless to set up a "dummy" database to put in the fix. Why did the exit polls match the results where paper ballots were used, but in every case where black box machines were used the exit polls that favored Kerry IN EVERY CASE turned to Bush? Why did the mainstream press ignore this? We need a commission to seriously look into these questions. I have no confidence that the likes of James Baker will do this.
Comment #36: Paul said on 4/22/05 @ 9:19am ET...
Dear Rep Conyers, and all! :-)
I have been following this issue of the Carter-Baker Commission, and I have come to the conclusion that it was not intended to achieve any real reform. I base my conclusion on a number or reasons. The final piece, for me, was a post by a Dr. Sheila Leavitt at BradBlog (warning: It is a long post, but well worth it (as are the other comments).
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001339.htm#44
It is astounding to me that an 'Academic Advisor' to such a commission could be so very clueless about the internet! Also, she seems genuinely panicked by the responses! How can she *NOT* be aware that here e-mail address is freely and publicly available?
I also suspect that this 'Commission' seriously underestimated the enormity of the task, and the obviously strong feelings of the people about this issue. Looks to me like they are having a very LARGE wake up call! I suspect that the 'Advisors' were probably persuaded by Baker and his cronies that the Commission would be "a walk in the park"! Seems they realize it's rapidly becoming a hike in the mountains. :D
Thanks for your efforts Rep Conyers. Personally, I wouldn't trust any of them without some significant proof of their objectives.
Comment #37: Susan said on 4/22/05 @ 10:44am ET...
We need more than "monitoring" this "commission". I am concerned that these "assurances" are a way of blowing smoke. We need Rep. Conyers on the commission asking the questions! Why isn't there more balance?
Comment #38: dot said on 4/22/05 @ 11:42am ET...
We must have a papertrail, please! Software is unseen and unprovable, please, please include the requirement of papertrail. dot
Comment #39: dot said on 4/22/05 @ 11:47am ET...
Thank you so much Rep Conyers for your hard work and efforts.
Your exercise of true American Democratic values and practices have restored faith in the system in many citizens!
Welcome back, former President Carter--it is nice to hear from you again! dot
Comment #40: Grizzly Bear Dancer said on 4/22/05 @ 11:50am ET...
Good Morning Congressman,
(messege #13) Something that has not been addressed is the robots in Congress in regards to accepting the electora votes in last rigged election. You handed out the 102 page report on Jan 5th, and Jan 6, 2005, Boxer was the only Senator to stand up. Kerry was in Iraq. I was at a Demonstration across the street. To me any Democrat (and Republican) that did not stand up in protest of the electronic fraud and massive humanistic fraud that effected thousands and thousands of votes in swing states did not represent the American vote of the people. Votes counted in secrecy by private companies which donated to the Bush Cheney campaign. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN refused to release their raw exit poll data because the results were changed should have their day in court also. The fraud has been well documented in New Mexico, Ohio, Florida, and Nevada. We have a selected president who used pre-emptive strike to go to war who used reasons that were unfounded. But hey lets go stick drills in the Alaskan Arctic refuge instead of building more efficient cars and drilling in other places. This is typical of the Bushit Administration. He is the worst president in US history which is pretty fitting since he cheated to become President. Until we have fair open popular vote elections with verifyable ballots that Independent candidates can take part in apart from the influence of big money corporations in this country, this system sucks. We the people must make a change not some secret voting commission.
Comment #41: Bill Bored said on 4/22/05 @ 2:26pm ET...
Dear Mr. Conyers,
Thanks again!
To pick up on a previous post:
"The government elects itself", and the votin' machines TEST themselves too!
Please fight for open testing and auditing of all voting systems!
While this may actually NOT be possible with DREs, there are other systems such as precinct count optical scanners that can be independently tested for Logic and Accuracy by using actual hand marked paper ballots, in public, before and after every election.
While this may not a perfect check, it's light years ahead of the opaque testing processes used with DREs, in which the mahcines essentially TEST THEMSELVES!
I am pleased to see that you have become so familar with the technology of the Internet and verifiable (as well as unverifiable) voting, while continuing to be a staunch advocate for the human side of the electoral process through your unwavering support for voting rights.
Let's keep these two movements together!
Comment #42: Emily said on 4/22/05 @ 2:57pm ET...
Thank you Mr. Conyers! I read about this on BradBlog.com and it's great news. Oh and check this out from Bradblog.com:
DeForest Soaries, a Baptist minister, said Friday that his resignation from the commission created by Congress would take effect next week.
Soaries, 53, cited personal reasons for resigning and said he wants to spend more time with his family in New Jersey — but he added the decision was prompted in part by a lack of support for the commission from Congress and the federal government.
"All four of us had to work without staff, without offices, without resources. I don't think our sense of personal obligation has been matched by a corresponding sense of commitment to real reform from the federal government," Soaries told The Associated Press.
Soaries is a Republican who was the White House's pick to join the Election Assistance Commission, which was created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to help states enact voting reforms.
..
Soaries and the other commissioners complained from the beginning that the commission was underfunded and neglected by the federal lawmakers who created it.> Orginially from http://beta.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050422/ap_on_go_ot/election_reform_resignation&printer=1
Comment #43: George said on 4/22/05 @ 7:42pm ET...
Dear Congressman Conyers,
Although your direct communication with Dr. Pastor is an important victory for democracy, "the war" is still far from over. While Dr. Pastor may listen to your concerns and may even want to allay them, he may not be permitted to do so.
The clock is running on the 2006 election and if it begins to look like the "wrong" side might win, Dr. Pastor will be (involuntarily, if necessary) "backed up" by others who will be no more civil than necessary.
For example, in the 2000 election, when Bush’s victory was still in doubt, after the Supreme Court halted the massive recount, Robert Bolton apparently strode into a library full of officials counting Miami-Dade votes and declared, "I'm with the Bush-Cheney team, and I'm here to stop the vote." (James Baker was also heavily involved.)
In 2004, a questionable Ohio election was confirmed by an even more questionable recount. Kenneth Blackwell was assigned to play goalie in that election and did his best to make sure no one would ever know what really happened.
After the 2000 election, and after the 2002 election, observers of those elections vowed that "this would never happen again." Nevertheless, it seems to have "happened again" in the 2002 election and also in the 2004 election.
Bluntly speaking, it may happen again in 2006 notwithstanding your sharing your concerns with Dr. Pastor and his displaying great familiarity with your report on the 2004 Ohio Presidential election…. You also indicate that you intend to attend future meetings of the Commission and personally meet with President Carter and other Commission members and that you will be monitoring this Commission and its work very closely.
With all due respect, and we all have loads of respect for you, my concern is that we are once again going to talk nicely while observing yet another stolen election and then vowing once again, "this will never happen again."
Congressman Conyers, please TRUST ONLY ACTION such as replacing James Baker with a more impartial person. The Commission members should also know the difference between statistics and glue and it would be helpful if the Commissioners know how computers work. It would also be nice to invite mainstream media people who have taken at least one statistics class. They are really not impossible to find.
Lastly, please push for asking republican, democratic and neutral statistics professors to be members of the Commission. In front of the whole world, they would probably not contradict each other about statistical facts. Ideally, they would be young professors who have not yet been convinced that “anything goes.”
Comment #44: Paul said on 4/22/05 @ 9:50pm ET...
Hello all,
Rep Conyers, I came across this story that I felt was relevant. You probably already know of this, but I was interested in your thoughts on the matter? :)
(quote)
Chairman of Voting Reform Panel Resigns
By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer
Fri Apr 22, 5:02 PM ET
The first chairman of a federal voting agency created after the 2000 election dispute is resigning, saying the government has not shown enough commitment to reform.
DeForest Soaries said in an interview Friday that his resignation would take effect next week.
Though Soaries, 53, said he wanted to spend more time with his family in New Jersey, he added that his decision was prompted in part by what he called a lack of support.
"All four of us had to work without staff, without offices, without resources. I don't think our sense of personal obligation has been matched by a corresponding sense of commitment to real reform from the federal government," he said.
Soaries, a Republican former New Jersey secretary of state, was the White House's pick to join the Election Assistance Commission, created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to help states enact voting reforms.
(/quote)
Full story is here:
http://beta.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050422/ap_on_go_ot/election_reform_resignation&printer=1
To me, it shows that:
a) there are SOME Republicans that want fair election reform, and
b) the Whitehouse, doesn't!
Comment #45: cs said on 4/23/05 @ 12:52am ET...
As a witness for the recount here in Ohio I observed in one county where every single ballot had been handled without independent witnesses after the election but before the recount began. Only sharp analysis by recount coordinators discovered discrepancies that force the BOE to admit what, at Blackwell's direction, it had done. The ballots themselves were stored in battered cardboard boxes, flaps bent and worn from being repeatedly handled and apparently never sealed. In a second county where I served as a coordinator, ballot handling was much more secure and the recount conducted far more systematically. Even so, in that instance the precincts recounted were not randomly selected as Ohio law requires, but chosen according to criteria determined by the director and approved by the board.
In the recount's aftermath the Ohio legislature is increasing costs and narrowing time frames for filing recount demands, making more difficult for candidates to request them in the future. Additionally, SOS Blackwell, now a candidate for governor, is again encouraging BOEs to consider purchasing DREs, the type of voting equipment most vulnerable to mass fraud.
Congressman Conyers, know you and your staff are aware of these things. I'm less sure that President Carter understands the gravity of the situation here in my state. If he does, I simply cannot understand why he has lent his stature to a commission that is, in all likelihood a sham; or why he is not speaking out.
Comment #46: Kira said on 4/23/05 @ 1:27am ET...
This is a sad day in Georgia:
Access North GA .com
Link
Georgia governor signs controversial voter ID bill
The Associated Press - ATLANTA
A controversial voter identification bill that prompted most of Georgia's black lawmakers to walk out at the state Capitol is now law.
Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law Friday a bill narrowing the accepted forms of voter identification so that only photo IDs can be used. Currently, voters without a photo ID can use a Social Security card, birth certificate or utility bill at the polls.
...The changes will not take effect until the U.S. Department of Justice signs off on the new law. Georgia, like other states with a history of suppressing minority votes, must get federal permission for changes in voting requirements.
Less than an hour after the bill was signed, black lawmakers vowed a lawsuit if the requirement is approved by the Justice Department.
"We think this a terrible, terrible precedent for the nation," said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, D-Atlanta and chairman of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, which has already prepared an objection to the law to send to the federal government.
The Republican-backed measure sparked racial tensions during the legislative session. Democrats argued the idea was a political move by the GOP to depress voting among minorities, the elderly and the poor _ all traditional bases for Democrats.
Black lawmakers stormed out of the House and Senate the night the bill was approved. Some sang a civil rights era protest song so loudly that business had to be stopped.
Later they held rallies decrying the measure.
Earlier this month, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, publicly called on Perdue to veto the bill.
"Despite the gains we've made toward achieving racial equality, racism still exists," she said.
*MORE*
Comment #47: Mixter said on 4/23/05 @ 9:39am ET...
Rep. Conyers, you are a true American hero. Thank you for trying to preserve democracy in America.
Mixter
Comment #48: Susan said on 4/23/05 @ 10:05am ET...
Because every "commission" has been set up by the administration to be a whitewash, the assumption is that this one is, also, because of Mr. Baker's participation. He is brought out to "fix" things.
Our faith rests with President Carter and whether he takes counsel from Rep. Conyers, to whom the country owes untold gratitude. If we survive these assaults on Democracy, Rep. Conyers will be remembered as a hero and he is already a hero to all of us for his insight and efforts. He should be ON this commission. No one wants to see President Carter duped. Will he be an insightful hero, too? We hope.
Comment #49: Susan said on 4/23/05 @ 10:07am ET...
Maybe we should wage a polite and relentless campaign with Dr. Pastor to put Rep. Conyers on the commission!
Comment #50: Joan Jarowski said on 4/23/05 @ 10:35am ET...
Re Georgia Voter photo ID's. Stop complaining and get those voters photographed! It would make a nice, friendly project to do so, I would think and a good opportunity to exchange political ideas and to encourage participation in the election process. Make lemonade from those lemons--make them sorry they did this--let it backfire!
Comment #51: Dr. Alan H. Levinson said on 4/23/05 @ 12:12pm ET...
I URGE EVERYONE FROM EVERY STATE IN THE UNION TO E-MAIL AND/OR CALL THEIR SENATORS AND URGE THEM TO "SAVE THE FILIBUSTER" AND REFUSE THE NUCLEAR OPTION. WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO THE TIME FOR THIS VOTE, AND HELP IS NEEDED TO GET THE REPUBLICAN'S TO BACK-OFF.
I JUST SENT E-MAILS TO ALL REPUBLICAN SENATORS. I ALSO CALLED A FEW WHO HAPPENED TO HAVE ANSWERING MACHINES.
PLEASE...PLEASE...PLEASE... THIS IS THE WEEK TO CALL OR WRITE.
Alan
Comment #52: Rusty Feasel said on 4/23/05 @ 1:03pm ET...
It is MISSION CRITICAL to get out the story that a month old republican front group has gotten a seat at the table.
I called my public radio station and told them to PROVE they operate more in their citizen donors' interest than their corporate ones'.
I intend to stay on them too.
If the story of the former general counsel to Bush/Cheney '04 who's morphed into a fair voting advocate (in 30 short days) with expertise to capture the fawning attention of a national commission of this import iws not newsworthy, then Nothing Is.
Force them folks. Call C-SPAN, your public broadcasters, indy stations, and demand reportage. And then, only then, call your friends.
Media is KEY.
Media is complicit in not reporting this.
The story MUST be told.
Best wishes for all of you terrific activists. I thank you all - as a citizen who NEEDS you to save my vote.
Comment #53: Dr. Alan H. Levinson said on 4/23/05 @ 1:21pm ET...
In case anyone feels like being "difficult" with a right wing blog site, blogsforbush.com is censoring responses. I put a couple of rather moderate ones up yesterday, and they disappeared in no time flat. I think I will spend all day e-mailing their editors, writers, etc, until I get the satisfaction of being called a pain in the butt!!
Probably not the right thing for me to suggest, but I would love the site to be inundated with voices of reason. You should go there just to read the arrogant, one-sided input.
Alan
Comment #54: matt said on 4/23/05 @ 6:10pm ET...
Dear Rep. Conyers:
The mere fact that Mr. Carter would agree to be part of this whitewash obviates any integrity in this matter on his part.
One should not enter into agreements with the devil or lie down with the beast lest he become like them.
I applaud you and your efforts in this matter, but I never heard Jimmy Carter's voice raised over the banana republic tactics of the supreme court in 2000, or about the obvious irregularities surrounding Paul Wellstone's death, or the questions surrounding the silencing of Rep. Kucinich and the antiwar voices within the party.
God bless you.
Comment #55: Richard Staehli said on 4/24/05 @ 12:57am ET...
Rep. Conyers, you can depend on my support for your efforts. I am depending on you to continue as the leading voice for those who understand that our elections are no longer trustworthy. Persistence and integrity!
Comment #56: Dan Fife said on 4/24/05 @ 5:03am ET...
Represenative Conyers,
This is mission critical. You must get all the democrats you possibly know to stand up and shout this, the time is right now!!!!
Forget what the faulty democratic national leadership does. Be the voice of the people!!!!! We want to expose these fascist lies once and for all, and we need representation!!!
Shout it from the rooftops Congressman Conyers, the sham of election fraud that has been allowed to take place.
http://www.flcv.com/ohiosum.html
No more. We fight and take them head on, or they will attempt to declare fascist rule. The vicious corrupt neocons are caving on the nuclear option, but only if you stay one step ahead of them the entire time--And fight them tooth and nail for the election fraud will this terror end.
Whoever sat by and became so complacent!??!??! Has anyone seen this?
http://www.cronos.com/electionfraud
No more!!!!!!!! We tell the government we will have no more!
Danial Fife
Comment #57: Sue said on 4/24/05 @ 3:40pm ET...
Thanks again for your vigilance. I thin we need to frame every democratic message around the issue that there are questions that remain about Bush's election. The Bush-bots on television justify every one of Bush's inappropriate aapointments as his right due to the fact that he was elected by the majority of Americans in the last election.
I have seen no proof of that fact and Democrats who go on TV (like Richardson did today on CNN? while discussing Bolton) should not go along with the premise that Bush won without question the evidence to support it.
This should be our number one frame around which we discuss every one of Bush's agenda items.
Comment #58: rough_in_riverside said on 4/25/05 @ 9:30am ET...
Represenative Conyers,
You are truly one of the few "honest" politicians left on the Hill and worthy of the title "honorable". The high hopes of millions of Americans ride on your shoulders, and our prayers are with you sir.
There is just one point I wish to make, and I hope I'm not too late in posting for anyone to have a glance at this (especially you Mr. Conyers...lol), so here it is:
--An elaboration to matt's comment #54-- Even if by some miracle James Baker was removed from this committee, it would not make a bit of difference. What no one realizes is how deeply entrenched Jimmy Carter is in the war-for-profit machine that is currently in control. HE IS ONE OF THEM.
Just because he has a "Democrat" tag doesn't automatically make him an honorable and principled man. One must be judged by his/her actions (which is why you are held in such high regard yourself Mr. Conyers ;-)
Carter was absolutely unknown in politics up until his presidential bid. But the PR machine that floods our airwaves (and owns them for that matter) was used to get Carter known/liked/elected. Think-tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderbergers, etc. are the groups that wield the true power in the world. They by no means operate with impunity, but they absolutely DO have the power to influence public opinion (i.e. an election), and absolutely DO try to buy every politician they didn't place there themselves (I have a hunch even you might have been propositioned Rep. Conyers...?). Then of course, the ones they can't buy get slandered up the yang.
I hate to throw things like this out there for fear of being thought a "conspiracy thinker" but there are some well documented facts by impeccable sources that should be remembered. I'll cite two of them below...
1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor
Anybody ever hear of a place called East Timor? It was during Carter's administration when Idonesia invaded this newly liberated country where people still lived in thatch huts and survived by a highly efficient anarchist system of government. Long story short, the U.S. and other western countries proliferated arms sales to Indonesia, who proceeded to kill around 300,000 East Timorese before they were done. Hey, weren't we supposed to be all about peace and protecting the innocent? Carter turned a blind eye to it which should be one clue.
2) http://www.infowars.com/exclusive_new_bg.htm
Bohemian Grove. Every summer a very peculiar gathering takes place in No. California in the Redwoods. Some might say downright scary. Hmm, world leaders obsessed with the occult? Can't be. Certianly no lberals go there right? Who's picture is that about 1/2 way down the page. HE IS ONE OF THEM. This stuff should scare you even if you are an athiest, but it certianly DOES happen and Mr. Jimmy Carter definetely DOES attend.
There are other things like the BCCI affair, etc.- but I digress. So IMO the decks are stacked against us in all kinds of ways here. I don't see any possible way of having a healthy debate on this issue unless Mr. Carter has had a change of heart recently...I think winning the Nobel surely might change a person profoundly...let's hope.
Keep your head above water Mr. Conyers, we are with you every step of the way...
Comment #59: Kathy Stone said on 4/25/05 @ 5:47pm ET...
Dear Rep. Conyers;
The arrogance of TRIAD Governmental Systems knows no bounds. I'm shocked at this note I received from a VP in response to my letter I signed and sent at Velvet Revolution's website. He may not have agreed with the request, but his response, as someone at the government trough, certainly appears innapropriate to me.
Kathy Stone
P.S. Thanks for all you're doing to reform our election processes!
--------------------------------------------
From: "Dwayne A. Rapp" Add to Address Book
To: "'Kathy Stone'"
Subject: RE: I support VR's Divestiture for Democracy!
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 15:42:03 -0400
Shouldn't Today be the action day? Are you going to boy cot our
company?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dwayne A. Rapp, Vice President
TRIAD Governmental Systems, Inc.
Dwayne@triadgsi.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathy Stone [mailto:xxxxxxx@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 8:50 AM
To: dwayne@triadgsi.com
Subject: I support VR's Divestiture for Democracy!
To whom it may concern:
I am writing in support of Velvet Revolution's "Divestiture for
Democracy" campaign. I urge you to support complete transparency and legitimacy in
future U.S. elections by quickly making the changes requested in VR's February 21, 2005 letter to your company.
Our country must be the world's leader in fair and uncompromised elections -- we must have paper ballots for all votes cast, open software and hardware, independent analysis of all machines, no networking of machines,
no partisan employee involvement in elections, and non-partisan observers of
vote tabulation.
These are reasonable requests that members from both parties in Congress have proposed be in place prior to the next national election. However, because these changes are within the power of your company to
voluntarily implement without any further legislation, the American people should
not have to wait for Congress to pass new laws to protect their right to vote.
Accordingly, as leaders in the business of counting the vote, I urge you to announce these important and patriotic changes for your company now. Such action will help re-establish faith and confidence in the
electoral process and ensure that America will always be looked upon as a model
for fair elections everywhere. It is shameful that our moral leadership in
this regard has been tarnished due to a lack of confidence in our own electoral
system, caused not by close elections but by unverifiable results on voting
machines.
I am hopeful that your company will demonstrate its commitment to democracy
by initiating the electoral reform changes VR has requested. I also believe that 60 days is a reasonable time frame in which to state publicly that your company will implement these steps. If you make the changes I am supporting, democracy is the winner and your company is the winner.
Thus, your decision will determine my decision on whether to applaud your
actions or join with millions of others to support divestment from and boycott of your company.
Please join us in this historic restoration and enhancement of democracy by immediately doing the right thing for our country! Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kathy Stone
MN
Comment #60: Johnny Rollens said on 4/25/05 @ 7:44pm ET...
This is shameful!!! Dwayne A. Rapp and the Rapp family are criminals, how dare they rudely ridicule those who want real voting reform!
I feel that these crooks should be called out and screamed at, until we get real voting reform!!!! Support Velvet Revolution today and support the investigation of criminal officials like those in Rapp Systems/Triad!
http://www.velvetrevolution.us
These people should be in jail, not anywhere near our elections period!
John Rollens
Comment #61: Joan Jarowski said on 5/14/05 @ 3:58pm ET...
Dear Representative Conyers, first, Long Life to You! Second, Outside the Congressional Black Caucus there is general ignorance on Capital Hill about the various mechanisms of theft that took place last November 2 and not just in Ohio. As a Fundraiser in that last fiasco, I often have the opportunity to hob-nob with party big-wigs including '04 candidates for President, who appear clueless about how a conspiracy so large could take place without easy discovery. I try to explain about the usual means of disenfranchisement taking place on a huge scale, about the crooked electronic machines which seemed always to malfunction in favor of Republicans and about, most critically, the backdoor into the Diebold GEMS Tabulating Software which counts hundreds of thousands of votes at the county and regional levels. Education, please!
