Democracy for New Mexico

Desperately Seeking Senators

Progressive Democrats of America is asking progressives to urge Senators to challenge the Electoral College vote on January 6th. After you've read this post, go to the PDA website to take action, where they've made this easy to do.

From Progressive Democrats of America:

We all remember that early scene from Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911", where one African American after another stands up in the well of the House to challenge the Florida vote from 2000, only to be ruled out of order due to the lack of a single signature from a single Senator.

Not this time.

On January 6, 2005, the House and Senate will once again meet to consider the electoral vote count. And once again, that vote count is likely to be challenged by a group of progressive House members, who will make the case that the misallocation of voting machines (especially in Ohio), the abuse of provisional balloting in numerous states, and the refusal and/or inability to conduct the recount in an open and auditable manner in Ohio, in Florida, and in so many other key states, mean that the certified electors should not be seated.

This time, we want several U.S. Senators to join with them, to make a serious voting rights challenge that the entire world will hear. This time, we want so much polite-but-firm grassroots contact from progressive voters beforehand that a whole group of Senators will choose to stand up and fight for the voting rights of African-Americans, Latinos, and youth voters that the Republican Party targeted for disruption and disenfranchisement in the 2004 election.

This time, we want several U.S. Senators to join with them, to make a serious voting rights challenge that the entire world will hear. This time, we want so much polite-but-firm grassroots contact from progressive voters beforehand that a whole group of Senators will choose to stand up and fight for the voting rights of African-Americans, Latinos, and youth voters that the Republican Party targeted for disruption and disenfranchisement in the 2004 election.

Some who need to hear from us are new, such as Barak Obama of Illinois and Ken Salazar of Colorado. These new Senators could use cover from the new leadership of the Senate, especially Dick Durbin, who also hails from Obama's home state.

Some Senators depend on African American and Latino votes to be elected, and thus could be expected to stand up tall when voting rights issues are on the line, including Joe Biden of Delaware, Carl Levin of Michigan, Bill Nelson of Florida, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes of Maryland, Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.

Senator Byrd of West Virginia was once a Klansman; but his eloquent leadership against the Iraq War has inspired us all, and he has the courage and fortitude to cap his career with an outspoken battle on behalf of abused African American voters. Senator Lieberman of Connecticut rightfully brags about his youthful efforts to register voters in the Old South in the 1960s; on 1/6/05, he will have the chance to demonstrate that his youthful idealism still survives.

There are Senators who are safe, and could do the right thing--like Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, Charles Schumer of New York, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, and Herb Kohl of Wisconsin.

There is Jim Jeffords of Vermont, an Independent who was brave enough to stand up to the Bush White House once before. There is Senator Lincoln Chafee, a Republican in a solid Democratic state, the namesake of Lincoln, a moderate caught in a far right party.

And, of course, there is John Kerry.

To remind them why they're in Washington, click here. Ask them to stand for every American's right to vote (and have it counted.)

Thank you for forwarding this action alert to your networks.

Standing tall in solidarity,

Tim Carpenter
Progressive Democrats of America

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email: info@pdamerica.org

phone: (877) 368-9221

web: https://www.pdamerica.org

What Movie is Your Christmas Most Like?

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Each year, you really get into the spirit of Christmas. Which is much more important to you than nifty presents.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

I guess I still haven't gotten over Time's choice of you know who for "Person of the Year." Or Richardson's refusal to allow even a limited recount. Or something. But I don't feel like posting anything political this morning. So instead I'm posting this silly quiz . And encouraging people to participate in our DeanCorps caroling tonight at various shelters in Albuquerque.

Help Rep. Conyers Get 1 Million Emails Supporting His Ohio Investigation

From Tom Solomon:
Rep. John Conyers and the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are urgently asking for your help in supporting their investigation of voter fraud and election tampering in Ohio. Please go to this link and, as it says:

"Respond to Rep. John Conyers' request for one million emails demanding that the House Judiciary Committee hold full hearings on the 2004 Election: send your message now!"

New Culprit: Triad Voting Machines

Both truthout and Raw Story have articles today focusing on problems with Triad and their punchcard voting machines, which have been ignored with all the publicity that Diebold and others have received.

In the truthout piece, Proof of Ohio Election Fraud Exposed, it's reported that Triad is owned by Tod Rapp, a donor to both the Republican Party and the Bush election campaign. Besides manufacturing punch-card voting systems, Triad wrote the computer program that tallied the punch-card votes cast in 41 Ohio counties in November.

It goes on to provide testimony about very suspicious behavior by a Triad representative that was given by Green Party candidate, David Cobb, when he testified at the Conyers hearing held in Columbus. It relays what is called by Cobb a "shocking incident" in which the Triad rep takes apart a voting machine at an Ohio county board of elections office on December 10th and more. The source of Cobb's story has been identified as  Sherole Eaton, Hocking County deputy director of elections. The text of an affidavit signed by Eaton is included in the truthout story.

In response, Rep. John Conyers has asked the FBI and a county prosecutor in Ohio today to explore "inappropriate and likely illegal election tampering" in at least one and perhaps several Ohio counties. The truthout piece includes a copy of Conyer's letter.

The Raw Story article reports that "The lawyers for Green presidential candidate David Cobb and Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik, along with Kerry-Edwards 200, have added election tampering to a civil suit filed against the state of Ohio over problems with the state's recount."

This piece also features an affidavit included with the Cobb-Badnarik-Kerry filing by Professor of Computer Science Douglas Jones. Jones asserts that Triad Election Systems' visits to local Boards of Election "compromise the credibility and integrity of the Ohio recount." There's also a copy of the complete civil suit provided.

I think that both of these articles are well worth a read. Just when you think things can't get any stranger in terms of the 2004 election, they gets stranger.

(Thanks to Ron for the heads-up on these.)

Richardson and Vigil-Giron Ask $1.4 MIL for Recount by Thursday Morning! PASS IT ON!

I just got a call from a friend reporting a conversation with someone who was at the NM Canvassing Board Meeting this evening at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Approval was given by the Board to allow the Green and Libertarian Party presidential candidates to have a recount here, IF THEY CAN COME UP WITH $1.4 MILLION BY THURSDAY MORNING.

The Board consists of Gov. Bill Richardson, Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Chief Justice of the NM Supreme NM Supreme Court -- all Democrats (at least in name). What can be on their minds in setting this outrageous up-front fee and time limit? It's certainly not ensuring that our votes count or that elections are fair and effectively run.

They can only be thinking that they don't want the attention of the national media focused on how poorly this election was actually run. On how a state with a Democratic governor was allowed to turn Red. On how inconsistent the rules were for accepting or rejecting provisional and absentee ballots. On what a terrible job Gov. Richardson and his Moving America Forward PAC did with turning out the Hispanic vote and convincing them to vote for Kerry. On how large numbers of touchscreen voting machines without paper trails were purchased by the Secretary of State despite all advice to the contrary. On how Rebecca Vigil-Giron spent almost $2 million on ads meant to educate voters but that primarily seemed to focus on showing her face and repeating her name. Even Heather Wilson didn't spend $2 million on her ads.

So what can we do now? We can donate NOW to Help America Recount, which is raising money for the recounts in NM and Ohio. We can pass this message on to everyone on our phone and email lists. We can write letters to the NM and national media criticizing how this matter is being handled by Gov. Richardson and the rest of the NM Canvassing Board.

And we can flood the offices of Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Governor Richardson with phone calls, emails and letters asking why Democrats would be siding with foes of the recount instead of with the people who put them into office in the first place. And why they kept saying the recount would cost up to $600,000 and suddenly change their tune at tonight's meeting to require payment of $1.4 million by tomorrow morning.

Contact Information:

Governor Bill Richardson:
Web Site: www.governor.state.nm.us
(To Email the Governor, go to the website above and click on "Email Gov. Richardson, or click here to go directly to the form on that page.)
State Capitol, Rm. 400
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Phone: (505) 476-2200
Fax: (505) 476-2226

Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron:
Web Site: www.sos.state.nm.us
Email: secstate@state.nm.us
State Capitol N. Annex, Ste. 300
Santa Fe, NM 87503
Phone: (505) 827-3600
FAX: (505) 827-3634

Easy links to use to contact media as well as local, state and national government officials: Capwiz

UPDATE: Here's the Albuquerque Journal's article on this.

Planning Meeting This Week for ABQ Counter-Inaugural

From Stop the War Machine's email news:

You are invited to help plan the January 20th counter-inaugural: On Wednesday, December 15, there will be a meeting in the basement of Irysh Mac’s (on Yale, 1/2 block south of Central), beginning at 6:30 PM.

The meeting will discuss details for the big anti-inaugural event in Albuquerque on January 20th. This will be at UNM Smith Plaza, on the south side of Zimmerman library, between Zimmerman library and the SUB, from 10 AM to 2 PM. At 2 PM there will be a march from Smith Plaza to the Pete Domenici Federal Courthouse, and there will then be a vigil at the Federal Courthouse.

Questions? Contact:
jacque3@unm.edu or citizen@comcast.net

Demand Bi-Partisan Investigation into 2004 Election

Progressive Democrats of America makes it easy for folks to demand a bi-partisan investigation into the 2004 Election . The Chairman of the House Administration Committee, Bob Ney (R-OH), stated publicly that he’ll hold bi-partisan hearings on the 2004 Election early next year. We need to tell the Committee to hold those hearings NOW, BEFORE the vote is certified in January.

Click here to ask members of House Administration Committee to call an immediate hearing.

PDA also urges folks to pressure Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell to answer the questions raised by Rep. John Conyers and others about the irregularities in Ohio:

General Telephone Number (Toll Free): 1-877-767- 6446

General Telephone Number (Local): 1-614- 466-2655

Election Reform Requirements

Yesterday, as Rep. John Conyers led a forum of Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee on voting problems and possible fraud, Progressive Democrats of America released a detailed list of electoral reforms that must be taken to restore democracy to America:

• A Constitutional amendment confirming the right to vote, as advocated by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
• Required paper reports for all electronic and electronically tabulated voting systems.
• Same-day registration for all Americans.
• The creation of unified federal standards for national elections.
• Meaningful equal protection of voting rights by such means as equal voting systems, equal numbers of machines, and equal time to vote.
• An end to partisan oversight of the electoral process.
• Extended voting periods to allow all voters a meaningful opportunity to vote.
• Instant Run-off Voting and Proportional Representation.
• Publicly financed elections for federal offices.

PDA is supported by Democracy for America and DFNM, and is working to create progressive caucuses in all 50 states. To learn more, click on the link above.

Truthout has an excellent blog on the Conyer's hearing.

Common Cause New Mexico is another organization dedicated to achieving election reform nationally and here in NM, starting with the 90-day session of the NM Legislature that begins in January.

New Mexico Democratic Friends, a citizen action group created by Eric and Sonja Elison, are now working on plans to support election reform at the 2005 NM Legislative Session. You can read about this group's mission here, and download an information sheet here to fill out if you'd like to become a member. (Both of these are Word documents.) You can reach the Elisons at selison22@comcast.net.

Imagine how different the nation and the world would be today if these reasonable and fair recommendations had been adopted before the 2000 election. Can we let another election pass without these protections?

Albuquerque Charter Deal for Inauguration Protest in DC

A chartered Greyhound bus will depart for the Counter-Inauguration protests  in Washington DC on January 17th at 7:00 PM at the Albuquerque bus terminal at 300 Second Street NW. The bus will arrive in DC very early on the morning of January 19th. The group will be staying at the Motel 6 on Georgia Avenue.

The bus will depart DC on the morning of January 21st and arrive back in Albuquerque late on the evening of January 22nd or very early on January 23rd.

The bus and 2-night motel package is priced at $500 per person, double occupancy. If you sign up by December 10th, there's a savings of $100, with an early bird price of $400.

Call Thomas Prando at 385-4938 or email him at tprando2@yahoo.com for more information or to reserve your space.

For frequently updated information on the demonstrations, visit the Counter-Inauguration website.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition website is another good source of information on Counter-Inaugural activities, as is the United for Peace and Justice website.

Also check out the Turn Your Back on Bush project.

Mountainair T-shirt Company Lets American Travelers Go Canadian

From an article on CNN.com:

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) -- An American T-shirt company has a solution for their fellow citizens who want to vacation in Europe without having to answer questions about U.S. politics -- pose as Canadians. For $24.95, T-shirtKing.com offers the "Go Canadian" package, full of just the kind of things an American traveler needs to leave their country and its politics behind. There's a Canadian flag T-shirt, a Canadian flag lapel pin and a Canadian patch for luggage or a backpack. There's also a quick reference guide -- "How to Speak Canadian, Eh?" -- on answering questions about Canada.

It's the brainchild of employees at the Mountainair, New Mexico-based company known for novelty T-shirts it sells worldwide on the Internet.

Click here to read more.