http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/14100465.htmIf you bet on a race horse, and later heard about serious allegations that the winning horse may have been illegally doped to gain an advantage, would you demand an investigation?
You know the answer. It would depend on whether or not you bet on the winning horse.
That's what has made much of America so hesitant to demand accountability regarding a growing ledger of allegations that the November 2004 election was so badly tainted that one could fairly question the outcome of the biggest race of all -- the one for the Oval Office....
But the anomalies were real. Many have been documented. They kept thousands in swing states from voting, and prevented thousands of ballots from being counted.
Not incidentally, most of the 2004 anomalies benefited one party.
What stands out in the analysis of 2004 voting practices in the critical state of Ohio, says Columbus State Community College professor Bob Fitrakis, "is the asymmetrical nature of the anomalies. Virtually every single anomaly tends to favor Bush, just overwhelmingly.''
Fitrakis, a lawyer who holds a Ph.D in political science, has done considerable research into the critical Ohio election, which Bush officially won by 118,599 votes to recapture the presidency. Fitrakis will present his evidence in a book, What happened in Ohio: A documentary record of theft and fraud in the 2004 election, coauthored by Harvey Wasserman and Steve Rosenfeld, to be released in September.
Among their findings:
• Four percent of the 5.6 million votes cast in Ohio -- some 224,000 ballots -- were not counted for various reasons. Nearly two-thirds of those disallowed votes came from urban, heavily Democratic districts.
• In certain heavily Republican counties, John Kerry received fewer votes than obscure Democrats running in statewide elections. In Butler County, for example, a retired black judge from Cleveland in a long-shot race for state Supreme Court got 61,000 votes. Kerry got 54,000.
''The drop-off [in votes] was at the top of the ticket, which is abnormal,'' Fitrakis said.
• Voter turnout in two precincts exceeded 100 percent of the voters registered. In one precinct, 679 out of 689 voters reportedly cast ballots -- yet, ''In a couple of hours, we were able to find 25 people who said they didn't vote or were out of town,'' Fitrakis said.
(See a 2004 article Fitrakis wrote for The Columbus Free Press at http://www.freepress. org/columns/display/3/2004/983.)
Electoral problems are hardly limited to Ohio. Brad Friedman, the proprietor of the Brad Blog website (www.BradBlog.com), has documented mounting suspicion of the veracity and reliability of electronic voting machines used across the nation.
Wow, hearing news is one thing, but to actually hear that first hand.americanwoman said:I have to say when I went to vote on election day I was very upset. First I went to my polling station where I went 3 times before and this time they conveniently did not have my name there. They said I was actually registered at a middle school about 1 mile away. whatever. so I go to the middle school only to have them say I'm not registered there but actually at another school 2 miles away from there! I go there and of course my name is not there. So I asked just to do a drop inn or absentee vote. The old lady in charge said I couldn't do that. We argue back and forth for awhile and finally I just give up because by that time the polls were about to close. I guess it's just a coincidence also that I'm a registered libertarian in a republican state.
jfuh said:Wow, hearing news is one thing, but to actually hear that first hand.
Do you think it was intentional or simply a clerical error?
americanwoman said:I'd like to think it was clerical but I don't know. It really pissed me off cause I was so ready to vote and it was my first presidental vote.
talloulou said:Well how come you all aint bitching about how Christine Gregoire totally stole the governors election here in Washington?
I have an idea, register repub if you live in a republican state, dem if you live in a democratic state, but then just vote as you please anywayGySgt said:I've voted three times and all three times I was deployed. Therefore, I had to vote "absontee ballet," which means my vote may or may not have gotten there. I'm sure once it did not, because there was all kinds of confusion as to my registration, and the other two times I can make an educated guess that it didn't count. For you see, not only am I a military person trying to vote out of country, I am also a resident of Florida. Who knows if any of my votes were even added!
GySgt said:D.C.? Wassup neighbor?
jfuh said:I have an idea, register repub if you live in a republican state, dem if you live in a democratic state, but then just vote as you please anyway
GySgt said:Makes no never mind to me. As long as the guy is pro-military, he'd get my vote. So far, Republicans have proven to take better care of us.
jfuh said:Wow, hearing news is one thing, but to actually hear that first hand.
Do you think it was intentional or simply a clerical error?
americanwoman said:I saw on the news this morning they are trying to cut ex-military health benefits and hike up the prices. It was shut down in Congress but they said it is likely to resurface. I pray that they shut it down for good and I will go vote against anyone that suppports or votes for it. I hate the so-called benefits they give to the military. You guys (and girls) deserve so much more.
They toss you guys in the dirt, feed you to the wolves, toy with your health care and benefits, then use you to create an artificial situation come election times. I don't know how you put up with such ****, even as an observer I'm sick of it.GySgt said:Getting crapped on is part of the job.
jfuh said:They toss you guys in the dirt, feed you to the wolves, toy with your health care and benefits, then use you to create an artificial situation come election times. I don't know how you put up with such ****, even as an observer I'm sick of it.
That had to hurt.GySgt said:I was in a hit and run just last year.
jfuh said:That had to hurt.
Reading that brought goosebumps up the back of my neck.GySgt said:Were it not for my gear, I would have broken both ankles and my left shoulder and died having smashed my head repeatedly on the highway. As it was, I tore my left rotator cuff and had to have surgery to repair my left hand, because I tore it and caused minor ligament damage. However, I faired better than my bike. It was totalled.
jfuh said:Reading that brought goosebumps up the back of my neck.
I guess on the bright side, better your bike then you.
Said like a true Biker.GySgt said:I go back and forth on that one.
PerryLogan said:What a great thread--so much more literate than most of what we see here. There hasn't been a single cussword, piece of right-wing disinformation, personal attack, or bizarre lie about liberals yet!
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