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Thursday, September 30
Bush's Hometown Newspaper Endorses Kerry
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 30 Sep 2004 08:40 AM CDT
 Bush's Hometown Newspaper Endorses Kerry
Capitol Hill Blue
Well, THIS would be good for a laugh if the reasons weren't so scary.
The
newspaper in George W. Bush's adopted hometown of Crawford threw its
support on Tuesday behind Bush's Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry.
The
weekly Lone Star Iconoclast criticized Bush's handling of the war in
Iraq and for turning budget surpluses into record deficits. The
editorial also criticized Bush's proposals on Social Security and
Medicare.
"The
publishers of The Iconoclast endorsed Bush four years ago, based on the
things he promised, not on this smoke-screened agenda," the newspaper
said in its editorial. "Today, we are endorsing his opponent, John
Kerry."
It urged
"Texans not to rate the candidate by his hometown or even his political
party, but instead by where he intends to take the country."
(Click here to read the entire article.)
Click here to read the op/ed in the paper itself. They provide some really great arguments as to why and how Bush is so dangerous.
Wednesday, September 29
Ohio SOS Caves In To Pressure from Voting-rights Groups
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 29 Sep 2004 03:37 PM CDT
 Ohio SOS Caves In To Pressure from Voting-rights Groups
The Columbus Dispatch
Blackwell ends paper chase
Some could be unable to vote because of flap over registration forms
Under
fire from voting-rights advocates, Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth
Blackwell retreated yesterday from a directive that critics said would
slow voter-registration efforts and even block some people from casting
a ballot Nov. 2.
At issue
is a reminder Blackwell issued this month to county boards of election
that voter-registration forms must be printed on "white, uncoated paper
of not less than 80-pound text weight," a heavy, cardlike stock.
...Jocelyn
Travis, Ohio coordinator for the Election Protection coalition and
People for the American Way Foundation, said, "We can’t let a piece of
paper stand between people and their right to register and vote."
The
national coalition of more than 60 civil-rights organizations has been
assisting voters and has trained 25,000 poll monitors to assist voters
in black and Latino precincts in Ohio and 16 other states.
Last
night, a spokesman for Blackwell denied that the GOP officeholder was
trying to prevent people from voting and said county boards should
accept voter registration forms on paper of any weight as long as they
are otherwise valid.
(Click here to read the complete story.)
My hat is off to
the progressive activists who wrote letters, signed petitions, and
generally caused a big stink as the GOP tried to disenfranchise
Democratic voters in Ohio. Well done!
Tuesday, September 28
Ohio Secretary of State Blocks New Voter Registrations
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 28 Sep 2004 04:57 PM CDT
Ohio Secretary of State Blocks New Voter Registrations
by Jim Bebbington and Laura Bischoff, Dayton Daily News
Boards of elections told to strictly follow two provisions
DAYTON
- Voters-rights advocates are criticizing two recent decisions by Ohio
Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell that they say will unfairly
limit some people's ability to vote Nov. 2.
Blackwell's office has told county boards of elections to follow strictly two provisions in Ohio election law:
One requires Ohio voter registration cards be printed on thick, 80-pound stock paper.
The
other ordered boards to strictly interpret the rules regarding
provisional ballots, the ones cast by voters who move before the
election but are still registered in Ohio.
The
paper-stock issue is frustrating Montgomery County Board of Elections
officials, who have a backlog of registrations to complete. If they get
an Ohio voter registration card on paper thinner than required, they
are mailing a new card out to the voter. But if they still have the
backlog by the registration deadline, Oct. 4, voters will not have
another chance to get their correct paperwork in, said Steve Harsman,
deputy director of the Montgomery County board.
"There is just no reason to use 80-pound paper," Harsman said.
In
Montgomery County there is a backlog of around 4,000 registrations,
Harsman said. A few hundred could be affected by this provision, he
said.
Cuyahoga
County board of elections officials are ignoring the edict because they
have already had an avalanche of new registrations submitted on forms
printed on newsprint in The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.
(Click here to read the entire article on TruthOut.org.)
SIGN THE PETITION to stop Ken Blackwell's latest dirty tricks. Click here.
Elect to Read a Banned Book
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 28 Sep 2004 11:03 AM CDT
 Elect to Read a Banned Book
Milford Daily News
Have you
read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "Bridge to Terabithia," "The
Giver," or "A Wrinkle in Time?" If these items had been removed from
library shelves, you would have missed the opportunity to read these
great books and many other titles.
Sept. 25 to Oct. 2 is Banned Books Week. We are encouraging you to "Elect to read a Banned Book" this year.
Each
year since 1982, bookstores and libraries have celebrated Banned Books
Week during the last week of September.... It is endorsed by the
Library of Congress Center for the Book. This is an annual event to
remind Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom - the
right to read - for granted.
You may
think that the days of people trying to "ban" books from library and
store shelves are long gone. But each year the American Library
Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom receives hundreds of
reports on books and other materials that were "challenged" by people
who asked that they be removed from school or library shelves. In 2003,
the Office of Intellectual Freedom received reports of 458 challenges,
defined as formal, written complaints filed with a library or school
requesting that materials be removed because of content or
appropriateness.
In 2003,
Phyllis Reynold's Naylor's Alice series topped the list of most
challenged books, knocking the Harry Potter series from the top spot on
the most challenged books list for the first time in four years. The
Harry Potter books have been challenged by parents and others as
"promoting witchcraft to children." Other frequently challenged titles
include "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, "In the Night Kitchen"
by Maurice Sendak, "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl, "The
Chocolate War" by Robert Comier, and "The Color Purple" by Alice
Walker.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
"A Wrinkle in Time"
The 1963 Newbery Medal Award Winner
This
story caught my eye because it mentioned my all-time favorite childhood
book, "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle. What really gets
me is that some seek to ban the Harry Potter series because they think
it "promotes witchcraft," and yet apparently, the fact that authority
figures physically torture children does not seem to bother them at
all.
It you want your pre-teen to learn about tyranny and government
oppression in a non-threatening, enlightening, and inspiring way, check
out "A Wrinkle in Time." S/he won't be able to put this fascinating book down. One caveat: If you've ever seen Married
Student Housing at UNI, you'll never be able to get the planet Camazotz
out of your head!
Linda
Monday, September 27
Big Increase of New Voters in Swing States
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 27 Sep 2004 12:16 PM CDT
 Big Increase of New Voters in Swing States
by Ford Fessenden, New York Times
COLUMBUS,
Ohio - A sweeping voter registration campaign in heavily Democratic
areas has added tens of thousands of new voters to the rolls in the
swing states of Ohio and Florida, a surge that has far exceeded the
efforts of Republicans in both states, a review of registration data
shows.
The
analysis by The New York Times of county-by-county data shows that in
Democratic areas of Ohio - primarily low-income and minority
neighborhoods - new registrations since January have risen 250 percent
over the same period in 2000. In comparison, new registrations have
increased just 25 percent in Republican areas. A similar pattern is
apparent in Florida: in the strongest Democratic areas, the pace of new
registration is 60 percent higher than in 2000, while it has risen just
12 percent in the heaviest Republican areas.
(Click here to read the complete article. Free registration required.)
Iowa's DEADLINE to Register:
Mailed By October 18th or Delivered by October 23rd. Click here to download an Iowa voter registration form.
Click here to download an Iowa absentee ballot request form.
Thursday, September 23
Kerry Leads in 11 of 16 Swing States In New Zogby Poll
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 23 Sep 2004 04:01 AM CDT
Kerry Leads in 11 of 16 Swing States In New Zogby Poll
Ruy Teixeira, Emerging Democratic Majority
The Zogby Interactive Poll of LV's (likely voters) was conducted for the Wall St. Journal Sept. 13-17.
Kerry's leads (%):
Arkansas 0.1
Florida 0.5
Iowa 3.0
Michigan 6.0
Minnesota 9.7
New Hampshire 3.6
New Mexico 12.7
Oregon 12.0
Pennsylvania 3.1
Washington 8.7
Wisconsin 2.4
Bush's leads (%):
Missouri 5.4
Nevada 2.2
Ohio 3.3
Tennessee 5.5
West Virginia 12.4
Ruy Teixeira is a Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation and the Center for American Progress
 The "Price/Hightower Election Analysis"
by Dr. Alta Price, MD, and ok, Jim Hightower, too
As for what is happening on the ground, DFIA Co-founder, Dr. Alta Price
has a theory that she calls the "Price/Hightower election
analysis."
I'll let Alta continue in her own words:
I thought this [Price/Hightower election analysis] was mine, but Jim
Hightower said the same thing in my living room, so I'll give him
credit, too - LOL.
Just look at the 2000 election,
which Gore won by 500,000 votes. Here's who will vote for Kerry: all
the Gore voters, most of the Nader voters, a number of
Republicans/Independents who voted for Bush last time, people in the
military, I.T. workers with no more high-paying jobs who voted for
Bush, Log Cabin Republicans, 18-22 year olds (more than 50% of whom are
going to vote this year), every Muslim American, my secretary, who must
be nearly 60, and wants to vote this year for the first time in her
life and asked me for help getting registered, and I'm sure I'm
forgetting some groups.
Bush maxed out in 2000. Unless
someone has run into a lot of Gore voters who have told them, "Oh, this
time I'm definitely voting for Bush"...? Have any of you? Do you
possibly know LOTS of people - Republicans perhaps? - who have told you
they'll be voting for Kerry? I do.
I predict Kerry wins in a landslide (which we need to counter any
October surprise or touch-screen voting machine hanky panky - I admit,
those things may make the election "close"). And Kerry has Iowa in the
bag.
And if you're STILL worried and scared, this letter from Michael Moore may be just the thing for you....
 Put Away Your Hankies: A Message from Michael Moore
by Michael Moore, of course
The Republicans Never Give Up, and Neither Will We
Dear Friends,
Enough of the handwringing! Enough
of the doomsaying! Do I have to come there and personally calm you
down? Stop with all the defeatism, OK? Bush IS a goner
- IF we all just quit our whining and bellyaching and stop shaking like
a bunch of nervous ninnies. Geez, this is embarrassing! The Republicans
are laughing at us. Do you ever see them cry, "Oh, it's all over! We
are finished! Bush can't win! Waaaaaa!"
Hell no. It's never over for them
until the last ballot is shredded. They are never finished - they just
keep moving forward like sharks that never sleep, always pushing,
pulling, kicking, blocking, lying.
They are relentless and that is why
we secretly admire them - they just simply never, ever give up. Only
30% of the country calls itself "Republican," yet the Republicans own
it all - the White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court
and the majority of the governorships. How do you think they've been
able to pull that off considering they are a minority? It's because
they eat you and me and every other liberal for breakfast and then
spend the rest of the day wreaking havoc on the planet.
...Kerry has brought in the Clinton A-team. Instead of shunning Clinton
(as Gore did), Kerry has decided to not make that mistake.
Traveling around the country, as I've been doing, I gotta tell ya,
there is a hell of a lot of unrest out there. Much of it is not being
captured by the mainstream press. But it is simmering and it is real.
Do not let those well-produced Bush rallies of angry white people scare
you. Turn off the TV! (Except Jon Stewart and Bill Moyers - everything
else is just a sugar-coated lie).
(To read moore of the Moore missive, click here.)
Sunday, September 19
Iowa's Tom Douglass on Bush's War and That Gigantic Beehive
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 19 Sep 2004 03:23 PM CDT
 Iowa's Tom Douglass on Bush's War and That Gigantic Beehive
by Tom Douglass, North Liberty
Supporters
of the war on Iraq believe that when you are attacked, the only
reasonable response is to strike back, and to strike back with such
force that you teach your attacker a lesson so that they will stop
attacking, retreat, and not attack again. Therefore, the invasion of
Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein would "teach them a lesson" so
that they would never again interfere with our country.
The problem with this belief is that it is based on flawed assumptions.
The first is that overwhelming force in one area will frighten all
possible enemies. Another is that everyone in the world, regardless of
cultural differences, fears death.
We were
attacked by bin Laden, a militant Muslim religious zealot. Saddam
Hussein was a secular political leader who wanted nothing to do with
bin Laden, and the feeling was mutual. Saddam Hussein had not
threatened the U.S. since 1991, after the Gulf War. Yes, he had wanted
to, but with the sanctions and inspections, he posed no credible threat
to us. Bin Laden, on the other hand, has made clear his intention to
make war on the United States, on our own turf.
Consider
that you are walking across your lawn, and a hornet stings you because
you inadvertently disturbed its nest. You hurt and are angry. Then you
recall that your neighbor has some beehives that he manages for the
profit from the honey. You love honey, and you could use some profits
yourself. So, to get back at the hornet, you get your baseball bat and
immediately go over to your neighbor's yard, crack him on the head and
steal his beehives. Big problem: you forget to use smoke to neutralize
the bees while you move them, and, in the process, the bees swarm and
sting the hell out of you, even though with each sting, a bee dies.
This is
essentially what Bush has done. Because of his greed for oil, he has
unleashed the fury of literally more than a billion people across the
face of the earth. The adherents of [militant] Islam believe that 1)
each Muslim has the responsibility to defend the religion BY WHATEVER
MEANS, when it feels attacked, and 2) they do not need a leader. Each
Muslim is not only allowed to act independently, he is REQUIRED to do
so, or he will suffer eternal damnation. By dying in the defense of his
religion, each [militant] Muslim ensures his place in paradise. So,
instead of frightening attackers who, like us, are afraid to get hurt,
Bush has stirred the huge beehive of militants who wish to die for
everlasting glory. And the shame is, that, by cooperating, being
tolerant, and peacefully working out our differences, we could have had
all the honey we wanted at a decent price.
We may
not be able to relate to Islamic values and beliefs, but we ignore them
at our peril. We will never win a war on terrorism as long as there are
American troops in Arab countries.
Tom Douglass, North Liberty, Iowa
Friday, September 17
Bush Loses His Base
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 17 Sep 2004 08:36 PM CDT
 Bush Loses His Base
by John B. Judis & Ruy Teixeira, The New Republic
Sweat
streams down Terry's face as he pushes a lawnmower up the street toward
his home in Martinsburg, a small town in West Virginia's eastern
panhandle. Middle-aged, balding, and paunchy, Terry used to work in a
local factory but is now on disability because of an accident. Asked
his opinion of President George W. Bush and the Iraq war, he says he
used to like Bush and, at first, he thought it was a "good idea" to
invade Iraq. But he has now changed his mind. "They shouldn't have gone
over there," he says. "They are killing a whole lot of innocent people.
It isn't worth it. They already caught the guy. They should have gotten
the troops out then."
Christine,
who works for a government agency, is sitting in her front yard,
overseeing a garage sale. Like others on her block, she has a pride in
the United States flag prominently displayed. But her support for the
troops in Iraq doesn't extend to the war itself. "I don't think it's
been worth it," she says. "I don't know why we blow someplace up and
then spend so much to rebuild it when we have our own issues over here.
I did support it when we went over. But now I don't think we had any
reason to go over there." She says she hasn't decided who to vote for
but is leaning toward John Kerry.
Terry
and Christine are members of the white working class--comprising
people, ranging from clerks to factory workers to technicians, without
four-year college degrees. Since 1968, Republican presidential
candidates have relied heavily on these voters to win elections. In
2004, Bush will need to win them decisively to carry battleground
states like West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Missouri. But he may
not, thanks in large measure to growing dissatisfaction with the Iraq
war. Perhaps no other group's views have changed so dramatically since
the U.S. invasion, and perhaps no other group's mounting opposition to
the war is as ominous for Bush's reelection hopes.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
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