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Sunday, October 31
"Bush and Cheney are so over," says Rover.
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 31 Oct 2004 07:49 AM CST
"Bush and Cheney are so over," says Rover.
Good doggie, good doggie!
Blog for Iowa sinks to a new low,
but we can't help ourselves.
Lovely, patriotic doggie.
And speaking of signs . . .
Seems like there has been a rash of sign thefts lately. The Iowa
City crowd keeps getting their signs stolen from their lawns, and I
hear that when Kerry spoke in the Des Moines area recently, Kerry signs
went missing all over. (They didn't take the other candidates'
signs, just the Kerry signs. A selective group of thieves, as it were.)
Here in the boonies, the Thieman household had just made the trip to
Sioux City to pick up an Art Small sign and a Joyce Schulte sign - an
hour and a half drive for us - when the guy who mows our lawn, bags our leaves, and shovels our snow came over
and failed to replace our signs when he was done mowing.
And he
took the signs with him, apparently storing his equipment on top
of them on his flatbed. So, the next morning, I left a message on
his answering machine and asked him to please put the signs back.
Eight
hours later, at four in the afternoon, I called again and left a
message with his son. (This is a guy who, if you call him and
tell him you have a check for him, will be there in five minutes
flat.) Three hours later, still no signs, so I
called his wife. That did the trick. The next morning he
returned the Joyce Schulte sign to our yard, although it was half-way
shredded. Apparently, the Art Small sign was completely
shredded.
So, we went to Dem HQ in Sioux City again and got ourselves a new Art Small sign
and a new Joyce Schulte sign.
Unfortunately, the new signs had only been up one day when the wind
tunnel we live in grabbed the Schulte sign and blew it away. We
hope it landed upright in a Republican neighbor's yard. I'm
telling you, it is so windy here that if I had put a wind turbine on my
front lawn a year ago, I'd be a millionaire by now.
The Art Small sign still stands, although it did get rather mowed down
by the wind, too. It's not quite as flat, however, as our Howard
Dean sign after two feet of snow fell on it last January.
Then, last night, I got a call from the BV County Dems HQ and they told
me that our absentee ballots had not been recorded as returned.
And we mailed those in 3 weeks ago! We mailed them from the Storm
Lake post office and they had to travel a full half mile to get to the
courthouse. So, now, I'll be chasing that down on Monday.
Either it just didn't get put up on the website that the Dems are
using, or the Republican county auditor is losing a lot of Dem absentee
ballots.
If you sent in your absentee ballot ages ago and keep getting panicked
calls from national, state, and local Dems asking if you've returned
it, take the hint and call your county auditor to see if your ballot has been received. Monday is the last day.
Politicking is haaarrrrrrrdddddd!
Linda Thieman
Howard Dean: Count Every Vote
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 31 Oct 2004 04:06 AM CST
 Count Every Vote
by Howard Dean
A request from your favorite New England Governor...
After
the Florida disaster in 2000, Congress had an opportunity to fix
problems and build a better electoral system. It failed to act quickly.
When it finally did act, the limited reforms that managed to pass
didn't receive sufficient funding.
Now we
face an election that, if the results are close, could be even worse.
Republican officials in several states have tried to keep people from
voting, and the widespread use of paperless electronic voting machines
means that some votes can't be recounted.
That's why we all have to take personal responsibility for the integrity of the voting process. Rep. Rush Holt
of New Jersey, who has been a leader on election reform, has put
together a resource for all of us who want to make sure our elections
are fair:
http://www.counteveryvote.org
We have an obligation to ensure that our elections are fair and accessible. At this web site, you'll find information about volunteering at polling places and reporting any problems.
We also
have to make sure elections are auditable. Congressman Holt was the
only member of Congress who saw that electronic voting machines were
flawed. I support his bill to provide a voter-verified paper trail -
but the fact is that many people have not used these machines and don't
know what to expect.
As more
people have learned about electronic voting machines, support for the
bill has grown. There are now more than 150 Congressional co-sponsors.
But Congress left town without passing it. That's why advocates for
voting rights on the ground will be crucial. Please get involved:
http://www.counteveryvote.org
When
Congressman Holt started his work on these vital issues, he was all
alone. But elected leaders and ordinary Americans have begun to follow.
Join us to make sure that this time we have an election worthy of the
world's greatest democracy.
Thank you,
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
Saturday, October 30
This Year For Halloween, Go Trick-or-Voting!
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 30 Oct 2004 05:28 PM CDT
 This Year For Halloween, Go Trick-or-Voting!
by T. Eve Greenaway and Chinyere Tutashinda, AlterNet.org
By going
door-to-door in costume, offering up treats, voting tips and directions
to polling places, this year’s trick-or-voters will also be spreading
the word: there has never been a better time to make politics fun.
“People
are already expecting you to knock on their door on Halloween. So it’s
the one day of the year where people will be home and ready to answer
the door,” says Sarita “the Great Witch” Ryan, an organizer for Trick
or Vote. “This way, it’ll be fun for everybody involved, not just
another [election] canvasser coming by.”
The idea
is simple enough. This year, Halloween falls just two days before what
many are calling the “most important election of our lifetime.” And,
while most of us have had it up to here with both Bush and Kerry –
their voices on the radio, their mugs all over the television and on
the front of all the newspapers – young people everywhere are using
this holiday to remind each other that the election is as much about
one another, and the issues we care about, as it is about the
candidates. By going door-to-door in costume, offering up directions to
polling places, reminders to bring an ID, and Halloween classics like
Tootsie Rolls and Pal bubblegum, this year’s trick-or-voters will also
be spreading the word: politics and fun are not opposing forces.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Friday, October 29
The Final Push is On: What You Can Do!
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 29 Oct 2004 09:58 AM CDT
 The Final Push is On: What You Can Do!
by Andrew Smith, Candidate for Iowa House District 40, Tama and Grundy Counties
I know
everyone is tired. I know that we are all sick of the campaign, sick of
the lies, sick of the distortions and sick of the rhetoric. But now is
gut check time, and when the going gets tough the tough get going.
You must
always remember that you have the power to take our country back. You
have the power to make a difference right now in these closing days for
progressive candidates. Log off your computer right now and go help. Go
to the nearest headquarters of a candidate you support. You have the
power and you can make a difference these final days.
You have to believe. We can win! We will win!
Andrew Smith
What You Can Do!
1) As Andrew said, contact a local progressive you support and
help out. Even three hours will make a big difference. On
the right sidebar of Blog for Iowa, you will find links to the websites
(with contact information) of a number of Iowa progressives.
2) No local progressives? Get in touch with the Dem HQ for
your county and volunteer to make phone calls. You will find some
of the Dem county websites with contact info listed here.
3) Go to New Jersey Congressman Rush Holt's Count Every Vote website to see
how you can help out on Election Day. Stop election fraud in its
tracks.
4) Go to the ACT website to see if they are still taking people.
5) Check out this great resource from MoveOn - Election Protection Card - print it and take it with you to hand out.
6) Help turn out voters in Iowa with AmericaVotes.org.
Thursday, October 28
Help Shape America's Future by Nominating Progressive Cabinet Secretaries
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 28 Oct 2004 03:46 PM CDT
 Help Shape America's Future by Nominating Progressive Cabinet Secretaries
Progressive Democrats of America and the Backbone Cabinet Coalition
Dear Friends, Progressive Leaders, and Progressive Organizations:
The
Backbone Campaign and a coalition of grassroots organizations from
around the nation has come together to initiate a process to empower
citizens to nominate and elect "The Backbone Cabinet, A Progressive
Cabinet Roster."
I invite your participation in this important endeavor and ask you to visit the Backbone Cabinet nomination website www.backbonecampaign.org/cabinet
and make your own nominations, as well as to rate and comment on
existing nominees. If you are a social action, peace and justice,
or other progressive organization, please consider adding your
organization to the growing coalition of sponsors by contacting Bill
Moyer at bill@backbonecampaign.org, or by calling 206-463-4784.
[DFIA is a member of the Progressive Democrats of America coalition.]
Shortly
after November 2nd, the Backbone Cabinet Coalition will hold its own
election, (an Instant Runoff Voting process), in which the top
progressive cabinet candidates nominated by you will then be "elected"
by citizens around the country. Regardless of whether Kerry or
Bush prevails in the Presidential election, the presence of a vocal
group of leading progressives, with substantial expertise in the areas
represented by the President's cabinet, will serve as a focal point for
articulating the vision of the progressive movement. As always,
when the people lead the leaders follow. So let's lead!
Thank you.
Bruce Taub for Progressive Democrats of America and the Backbone Cabinet Coalition
Wednesday, October 27
Election Day Problems: What To Watch For
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 27 Oct 2004 04:28 AM CDT
 Election Day Problems: What To Watch For
Voters Unite!
Below, find ways you can help no matter where you live.
SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT ...
1) Electronic voting machines changing votes!!
VOTERS — CHECK THE REVIEW SCREEN!!
This means YOU, Clay County!
First, don't touch the touch screen anywhere but where you intend to
touch. Early voters have found that resting their hand on the screen
while they vote causes the screen to register the wrong selection.
Second, take your time so you vote for your real choices. Some voters
are reporting that the touch screen machines aren't working properly
and they are having trouble recording their votes as they intend. Read about it here.
2) The paper option in California!!
This from EFF: California voters who are worried about electronic
voting machines have an option to vote on paper this year. Many groups
worked very hard to get this from the Secretary of State and it was a
major victory - he was sued over it and won in federal court.
Now we've learned that several of the larger counties (including
Alameda, Santa Clara and Riverside) have instructed their poll workers
that they cannot tell voters about this choice. They must steer voters
to the insecure machines and can only offer paper if a voter takes the
initiative to choose it.
Needless to say, this is outrageous. To try to raise voter awareness of
the choice (and hopefully shame the registrars of voters to change
their minds), Electronic Frontier Foundation has created a website with
a creative explanation:
http://www.paperorplastic2004.org
Take a look. Then send the link on to your friends, family and other
voters in the 11 affected counties (the list is on the website). We
have very little time to get the word out. Spread this far and wide.
Hopefully, we can even provoke a little media coverage as well.
3) A dangerous port on the Diebold touch screen!!
This from TrueVoteMD: Diebold AccuVote TS electronic voting machines
have an infrared (IrDA) port installed (see the picture above). This is
a remote communication port through which another remote device could
communicate with the touch screen and change either its data or its
software or both.
If your county uses Diebold touch screens, let your county officials
and election judges know that it is crucial to cover the IR port with
opaque tape.
——————————————————————
HELP GATHER INFORMATION ...
With Election Day just one week away, it is clear that this is the most
scrutinized election in recent history. Problems that may have been
occurring unnoticed for years are now coming under the spotlight. While
it can be discouraging to face the many ways in which our election
system is in need of repair, knowing the extent of the problems
provides us with information we need to improve the system.
Here are some ways you can help expose election problems to the light of day.
1) Sign up to collect and report your precinct totals.
Tracking precinct totals is an important way to scrutinize the
election. You can add to the information by submitting the totals from
your precinct. VoteWatch has an explanation and signup form here:
http://www.votewatch.us/participate/closing_voter
2) Let us know about election problems of all types.
We have a new
page summarizing election problems reported in the news — not just
electronic voting problems, but problems of all types.
http://www.votersunite.org/electionproblems.asp
Items are added as we hear about them, so if you see an article we
haven't included, please let us know by filling out this simple form:
http://www.votersunite.org/electionproblems_submit.asp
3) Report Election Day problems.
To Election Protection at https://voteprotect.org/
or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)
To BlackBoxVoting at http://www.blackboxvoting.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi
Sign up for TechWatch at http://www.verifiedvoting.org/techwatch/
Thanks!!
~ the VotersUnite team
Saturday, October 23
Stop Move to Ban Gay/Lesbian Literature in Solon, Iowa, Schools
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 23 Oct 2004 09:56 AM CDT
 Stop Move to Ban Gay/Lesbian Literature in Solon, Iowa, Schools
by Sue Protheroe, Solon Middle School teacher
Meeting:
Materials Reconsideration Committee
Tuesday, October 26, 7pm
Solon High School Media Center
Solon, Iowa
I am the
8th grade language arts teacher at Solon Middle School. Those of
you who have children in my classroom know that it is a place where
students are free to develop and express personal opinions, without
fear of recrimination. My message has always been one of respect,
tolerance, and acceptance. And what better vehicle for discussion
than literature?
Stories
containing gay/lesbian characters are periodically part of my
curriculum, and I am grateful to those of you who have read the stories
yourselves and used them as vehicles for discussion at home. When
I teach these stories, I generally have a small number of parents ask
that their children be excused from the pieces, and I honor these
requests. This year, however, there is a group of parents
requesting that the stories be removed from the curriculum altogether,
which would mean that all of my students would lose the opportunity to
read and discuss them.
I object
passionately to the censorship of the literature that Solon students
read, especially when the censoring group identifies a specific
population and asks for removal of that population from the texts used
in the classroom.
One of
the messages in the story "Am I Blue?" is that "there are gay cops and
gay farmers, gay teachers and gay soldiers, gay parents and gay
kids." By acknowledging this fact frankly, in a controlled
classroom setting, we are educating to encourage tolerance and to end
discrimination against a group of our students.
If the news that this is happening alarms - or even just interests - you, I encourage you to attend the meeting of the Materials Reconsideration Committee, October 26, 7pm, in the Solon High School Media Center, Solon, Iowa.
Sue Protheroe
Solon Middle School teacher
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