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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.
Blog for Iowa Hits 150,000 Views
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 28 Sep 2004 02:51 PM CDT
 Blog for Iowa Hits 150,000 Views
Yesterday, Blog for Iowa hit two notable milestones.
For the month of September, BFIA has had over 40,000 page views, our first month passing the 40,000 mark.
We also
hit a long-term milestone. Since BFIA went up on April 1st,
nearly six full months ago, Blog for Iowa has had over 150,000 page
views.
My
deepest gratitude goes out to all of you who have contributed to this
effort and who have been vigorously spreading the word. And a
special thanks to our dear readers for making it happen.
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
Grass Roots Rock in Des Moines October 3rd!
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 28 Sep 2004 08:51 AM CDT
Grass Roots Rock in Des Moines October 3rd!
A Benefit by the Friends and Family of Andrew Smith,
the 25-year-old Democrat who is running for Iowa House
in District 40 (Tama and Grundy counties). Andrew is
the youngest Democrat running for office in Iowa.
Connie Wilson: White House Press Corps Member, Part 4
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 28 Sep 2004 05:01 AM CDT
 Connie Wilson: White House Press Corps Member, Part 4
Connie Wilson dissects Bush's Colorado campaign speech and really let's him have it!
Now comes the onslaught: A sampling of some truly outrageous tactics and statements. First, this one:
1) “The American President must be clear in his thinking and must be clear in his speaking in order to effectively lead.” (hahahahahahaha) Right after this, I believe he mispronounced both the word “bio-deisel” and the name of the Japanese Prime Minister.
2) “I will never turn over America’s national security decisions to other countries.” Trust me. No other countries want anything to do with us any more, and most certainly they don’t want to be fighting our unnecessary wars. They have problems of their own, and the cost of ours has shown them that this is NOT the way.
3) “Liberty can transform an enemy into an ally.” This is a Harry Truman quote. Some nerve. There is no real proof that liberty, alone, has made any country I am aware of our “ally.” France has liberty. They used to be our ally. I think the past tense is perhaps the important thing here. Insert your own support for this quote…if you can.
4) “I want a chance for our children and grandchildren to grow up in a more peaceful world.” (Certainly why he bombed Iraq back to the Stone Age and is purportedly amassing troops now to move on Iran.) George W. Bush is many things. A pResident on the side of peace he is not. I just want a chance for my 17-year-old to grow up AT ALL, since we may have to re-institute the draft once “W” really gets rolling on his “Save the World Crusade.”
5) “Freedom is powerful.” So is money. So is oil. So is the stench of bull---t.
6) “I want to spread freedom to the world, not because it is America’s gift to the world, but because freedom is the Almighty God’s gift to the world.” Careful, George. Some people call him Allah. Some people don’t call him at all. Some people would like you to just NOT spread anything you touch in their direction, at this point, because it is all turning to (rhymes with twit).
7) “We will continue to lead the world to make it free and more peaceful.” OK. I can’t help myself. One more “R-iiiiiiiight!”
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