The Election Crisis

Bush's tactics worked: prevent the votes that were spit out through machine error from being counted; stall the manual recount until there's not enough time to complete it; and insist that no chads be counted if any are questionable.

Because of the Florida Sunshine Law, the truth will be known. Even if Bush manages to prevent the public from gaining access to the ballots, he will be such a crippled president that he will be unable to lead our country. He might even be impeached. He lost the national vote and almost certainly stole the Florida vote. Let's put party differences aside and choose the man with the best integrity.

Let the rally cry be "You may be able to rig an election, but you can't get away with it in America!"

Glenn Goytil

Overwhelming evidence shows that voting by blacks and Democrats was suppressed in Florida and that the U.S. Supreme Court showed a conservative bias by stopping the recount. Unfortunately, many Americans are uninformed and are simply willing to forget this huge injustice. Although Al Gore was far from being the perfect candidate, he should have not had the election simply stolen from him.

Part of the problem was Vice President Gore's weak campaign. He joins the ranks of other losing Democrats (Dukakis, Mondale, McGovern, Humphrey, etc.) who refused to attack the Republican candidate on core Democratic issues such as ending corporate welfare, minority rights, etc. Gore was just the latest casualty in this flawed strategy of moving to the right. Democrats can't expect to win elections with a watered-down conciliatory tone. They must be willing to use much more aggressive rhetoric to get their point across.

One area where Democrats and other progressives are losing ground is with the use of the new Internet technologies. Conservative groups have effectively mastered the use of bulk e-mail programs, massive letter-to-the-editor campaigns and other Web-related strategies. I have recently put together a Web site that teaches activists how to design Web pages, online discussion forums, e-mail trees, how to blast multiple letter-to-the-editor and other techniques. You can see this site at www.activistsE-Z.com

Rick Sheridan

The international community is still reeling from an "election" which occurred on November 7 in the third world nation of Americana-Chadswana. The self-declared winner was the son of the former prime minister, who was himself the former head of that nation's secret police (CIA).

The self-declared winner lost the popular vote by 540,000 but he won necessary votes in a college from the province's colonial past. This result was enabled by the highest court in the land which "selected" the self-declared winner for political convenience and because there was "no time" for a just remedy.

The self-declared winner's victory relied upon disputed votes cast in a province governed by his brother. Family and friends of the self-declared winner politically controlled most of the province like the Renaissance Borgias. This province had a recent history of extensive voting irregularities and fraud necessitating remedial legislation.

The state secretary who was responsible for certification of the votes was a political operative of the self-declared winner. She undertook to "cleanse" the voting rolls of purported felons and 173,000 names were removed. That list included 8,000 voters convicted only of misdemeanors. Some felons voted. How many voters were excluded illegally is unknown.

Poorly designed ballots of one district, a district heavily favoring the self-declared winner's opponent, led an indeterminate number of citizens to vote for the wrong candidate. Most of these voters were senior citizens.

Members of that nation's lower caste turned out in record numbers and voted 9-1 against the self-declared winner's candidacy even though their right to vote was variously obstructed. Intimidation was not an isolated event and included a mob scene in the hallway of a county office building.

Six million people voted in the disputed province where the self-declared winner's lead was about 9.2/1,000th of 1 percent. This is far less than the vote counting machine's margin of error. The error rate was especially high with machines used predominantly in the opponent's precincts.

The self-declared winner and his political party opposed a manual inspection and re-counting of the ballots in the disputed province or in its most hotly disputed districts. However, the self-declared winner favored selective hand counts when beneficial to him.

Most citizens of Americana-Chadswana appear ignorant of Floridagate. However, some were contacting their congressmen, the Justice Department, and other officials demanding investigation by a special prosecutor.

"AndrewsKD"

Why I Don't Like Dick Cheney

I'm a native of Wyoming who knows Dick Cheney personally from my law enforcement days.

I read your personal attack of Dick Cheney and only need to say that you cannot seriously expect us to follow your whole piece when you begin the article by attacking everyone in reach of G. W. Bush and then detail your personal dislike of Cheney. It's like saying, "You are a S.O.B., but I want you to listen to what else I have to say about you! You come across as taking a cheap shot at a man whom I personally know and believe to be highly qualified for the job he has been called to fill.

As for his heart condition, I am 62 years old, have coronary and respiratory problems and still work with broncs and bulls (I help my son produce rodeos).... I work under some pretty strenuous and stressful circumstances, too. What are your medical qualifications to judge whether or not he is fit for any job, when his own doctors have found him fit?

Besides all your listed faults of the man, how are they worse than the lying, traitorous socialist crowd with whom we have just endured eight unproductive and crippling years? Case in point: the California power shortage for which the rest of us in the west are expected to bail Clinton, Gray Davis and their environmentalist wacko puppets out.

Ron Roberson

Jeb Bush's Secret Weapon

Congratulations on a great article! It should make us all concerned about just what the "media" chooses to cover.

Harriet F. Abrahms (Cleveland)

The presidental election MIGHT have been rigged? There is no doubt in millions of minds around the world that it was -- and in our "democracy" that we always hold up to the peoples of the world as civilization's ideal.

Thank you for the facts that are not in the major media. Continue to be our light in these dark times of sham journalism.

La Vonne and Don Smith

Gale Norton

This week the U.S. Senate will be voting to confirm President Bush's Interior Secretary nominee, Gale Norton. During confirmation hearings, Ms. Norton backed away from her record and softened her stance on a host of decidedly anti-environmental positions. Norton said one of her top priorities as Interior Secretary would be Wilderness conservation, yet she has brazenly declared support for oil-drilling in our greatest Wilderness, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

I've been fortunate to see some of America's Wilderness: the Everglades, California Desert, Utah's Red-Rock Canyons, the Northern Rockies, all special places indeed. But the Arctic Refuge makes these places seem tame and small. I've hiked the hills of the North Slope, rafted down a wild river across the Coastal Plain to the Beaufort Sea, and gazed across the water at a sun that did not set.

I've also witnessed the industrial development of Prudhoe Bay, nineteen oil fields now occupy 1,000 square miles of former Wilderness. This industrial sprawl is so big that space shuttle astronauts see Prudhoe Bay as clearly as they do New York City. This is Norton's vision for the Arctic Refuge.

Gale Norton brings with her decades of questionable environmental baggage. Her actions speak louder than a few recent promises. Our Senators should not be fooled. Please urge your Senators to vote NO, against Gale Norton as Interior Secretary.

Dennis W. Schvejda, Sierra Club (New Jersey)

Clinton Pardon Last Hope for Leonard Peltier

About this same time of year, 138 years ago, on December 6, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln ordered the first mass execution by listing 39 Dakota men to be hanged at Mankato, Minnesota. The reason for the hanging was because the Dakota's rose up to defend their land from being illegally seized from them and to prevent their families from starving due to the Indian agent withholding promised annuities from the government. This resulted in a war with the white settlers who coveted Indian land and their means of supporting their families.

Of the Dakota's hanged on December 26, 1862, one named White Dog had a cousin called Hunka Sivaka, also known as, Anna Williams. Anna had to flee with her two small children to the northern Plaines, now known as Devil's Lake, North Dakota, because the relatives of the 38 hanged were being hunted down and killed by General Sibley and his army.

Anna Williams is the great-great grandmother of Leonard Peltier.

Leonard Peltier is a blood relative of White Dog of the 38 actually hanged at Mankato, Minnesota. The 38 bodies of those hanged were buried in a mass grave. Later that night, the bodies were dug up and dissected. The flesh was removed from the bones by boiling the bodies in a huge cooking pot, as this was a common practice of phrenologists at that time and is still practiced by today's anthropologists. The boiled-cleaned bones were then used for so-called medical research. Dr. William Mayo and his sons used these bones in anatomical studies. The Dakota bones were used to lay the foundation for what became known as the Rochester Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Ironically, last March, 138 years later, Leonard Peltier was taken from Fort Leavenworth prison to Rochester Mayo Clinic for surgery on his jaw (the place that his ancestors bones founded). Leonard Peltier, like the 38 hanged, has been harshly penalized for protecting his people from being mistreated and murdered by their oppressors on their own property, in their own homeland.

It is interesting to note that several years ago, Cut Nose, another of the 38 hanged, had his skull removed from display at one of the doctor's office at Rochester Mayo Clinic and returned to the Dakota's of Morton, Minnesota for burial. Recently, his tattooed skin measured about 4 by 5 inches was returned from the Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Michigan to be buried.

Elaine Matlow

I just wanted to know what we as people with a heart can do. We have already sent letters to the now-former President Clinton. There has to be something else we can do. An injustice such as this should not be able to go on any longer. I feel for this man, and I believe that he is innocent. I will stand up for him in any way that I can, and I will keep him in my prayers.

Taunya Oates

How can we send a letter to President Clinton to show our position in the case of Leonard Peltier?

Guru Singh

In support of Leonard Peltier, the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee asks that you contact them at:

LDPC
P.O. BOX 583
Lawrence KS 66044
(785) 842-5774
lpdc@idir.net
www.freepeltier.org

They also ask that you call the White House comments line today at (202) 456-1111, demanding Leonard's immediate release.

-- Editor

George Bush, The Fortunate Son

I have been baffled by the treatment of GW for quite a while now, but I think it fits with the way the American press deals with people. They really hated the fact that they couldn't bring down Clinton, and getting Bush in the White House is their way of vindicating themselves.

This election was treated like a behind the scenes campaign for homecoming queen. The press was playing Mathew Broderick to Al Gore's Reese Witherspoon. And just like in the film ELECTION, they were willing to risk their career to make sure that Gore did not win.

As far as Bush's past getting out in the open. Well, it is my understanding that Bob Woodward is working on a book right now, with some very credible sources willing to go public with GW's cocaine use from his college days all the way through the 70's. And I think the press will be happy to shred Bush as these allegations continue to drip out.

The bizarre thing to me is that Gore seemed very unwilling to play hardball with Bush. He should have run that clip of Bush making fun of Karla Faye Tucker in every state. He should have followed it with with an ad asking "do really want this man choosing your next Supreme Court justices?" He should have taken Bush's statement in the debates that "we don't know what causes global warming" and run that in every state where Nader was getting large support. He should have unleashed Bill Clinton and kicked GW right back to Texas.

Gore people kept trying to make him more likable. He was always going to lose on likabilty. He needed to kick butt. He needed to get on those news shows and ask the questions that they wouldn't. Ask them why they didn't ask about his coke use. Then maybe people would have respected him. Then he might have won.

Bill Cody

I read the editorial w/ great interest -- but where are the footnotes marked? I'd like to see the sources of these statements. Unlike a Bush or Moonie follower, I'd like to assess the sources myself. thanks

"karenpdo"

-- Editor

The Unexamined Man

Thank you for the article about Bush's free pass with the press and the refusal of the press to cover the missing AWOL years.

I was part of a team of people who used the platform provided by Salon.com's Table Talk folders to work on research and dissemination of hard facts to the press. We covered every single possible base, all large, medium and even small news organizations. We did open battle with the NYT and George Magazine. We used one fact after another.

They refused to understand the story or they claimed that since the Bushes and the Bush supporters were stonewalling them that this means no one can ask questions.

I demanded they put in headlines saying, "Bush refuses to talk about missing years...Questions are raised about possible criminal activities during this time".

This, we patiently explained, would force Bush to cough up his full military record which we were unable to access. Even the NYT refused. They said that it wasn't that interesting. Worse, one of the reporters for George Magazine told us, "Yeah, he probably was arrested for cocaine trafficking but they won't talk so we had to ignore this". I said, "Why didn't you say this in your story?" He refused to answer me (no doubt, imitating Bush perfectly).

We now have a bonafide criminal for President. Americans might ignore this but I seriously doubt the rest of the planet will ignore this.

Elaine Supkis

"Forgive them father for they know not what they do." This comes to mind whenever I read about things done by people with dead souls. I think they are to be pitied because to show this much hate to others they must surely detest themselves.

"Ernest Z."

Fewer Ads, More Content

Did you know that the newspapers and magazine articles are based on a fifth grade reading level? Man, that surely sucks. I can buy a 120-page magazine and read through it in 15 minutes or less. There will be about 30 pages or less of reading in the whole damn thing. Even the British and French magazines don't have much reading anymore.

"Maine890"

Kissinger Encouraged Chile's Brutal Repression

Lucy Komisar's piece is a terrific expose of a bona fide war criminal whose links with criminal regimes in Chile and China have not even slightly diminished the respect, even awe, with which he is treated in the commercial media.

"Winterbyebee"

What other underhanded or subversive things has Kissinger done? He seems to pop up in conspiracy and "patriot" media as some kind of communist enemy to America. I have been very curious as to where this view point originated from.

K. Merritt

Growing Call For Reparations of U.S. Slavery

What about all the white people that died in the union army? Should their descendants be included in reparations payments? Should their descendants be excluded from paying a reparations tax? Or should they pay twice? What about reparations for Native Americans?

John West

Child Labor Abuse Rampant in U.S. Farm Industry

The article says that child labor injuries are worse than in the 1930's. Where is the information to back up this statement? I come from a farming family, I am 53 years old. I worked 10-12 hours a day during the harvest without missing any school and I was never injured. I have been injured more as an adult than as a teenager because I could moved better.

"TBF"

A link to the Human Rights Watch report can be found prominently at the top of the article.
-- Editor

Sweatshops

My friend and I were totally shocked to find that Walt Disney Co. supports child labor. How soon do you think it will be until the word gets out and about? Nike, Gap, Addidas, Reebok, as WELL as Disney? Where do people who care shop anymore?

Len Hjalmarson

The best resource is sweatshopwatch.org's web section for Shop with a Conscience.
-- Editor

When Desperate, Write to a Newspaper

I really need a summary on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Toros