raenergy: Thursday, November 04, 2004

Thursday, November 04, 2004

"Sour Grapes" or Voter Fraud Exit poles don't match tallies

Ra Energy Fdn.
Raleigh Myers
Worksheet bio
http://www.igc.apc.org/raenergy/bio.html
Blog
http://raenergy.blogspot.com/

"Sour Grapes" or Voter Fraud Exit poles don't match tallies First exit poles gave it to Kerry then the machines take it away ?
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/11/con04482.html

Nixon got elected the second time and it was our perseverance that won the impeachment. The evidence is still out on 911 etc. and many people believe that the Diebold no paper trail voting machines were bogus. The exit polls don't jive, the Reagan democrats none existent, the young vote, and the really 'thou shalt not kill' non Mammonist moral majority don't add up to failure. We know who we are and we now need to appeal to the rest of the world for HELP and show them that we really did not vote for more PNAC Fascism but the election was in essence stolen with a complicit media and a long list of dirty tricks both psychological as well as mechanical. Or as the BBC put it "in the circumstances this election was fought".
Call to Action blog
http://www.google.com/search?q=Global+Vote+raenergy&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=02Eigc%2Eorg%2Faction%2Ehtml

Sing this at the polls NOV 2 SING THE VOTE
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=this_land&preplay=1&ratingBar=off

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE in song is the first step to a fascism free planet
"THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND, THIS LAND IS MADE FOR YOU AND ME"

IMAGINE: WE are children of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; WE ALL have a right to be here

START SINGING THE PLANET'S ANTHEM AT ALL EVENTS TO SHOW HOW "WE" HAVE ALREADY VOTED.
This would get some air time if we did it at GOP campaign events even in congress this Summer and fall and beyond after all it is the anthem of the Age of Aquarius no. We suggested that "THIS LAND" be the Global Village Planetary anthem at Woodies celebration in San Francisco at the Geary Theater in 1967. It was seconded by three ambassadors and has become the second third fourth etc. anthems to many countries.

FOLKSAY(people say) ............ has become Our defacto Global Village Planetary anthem and in essence we voted for citizen empowerment as we sung it. Now let's get it officially on record by singing it everywhere as direct democracy.
THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF AQUARIUS is the reality at hand! The children of the universe, the right to be here generation _ the meek taking their prophetic inheritance out of probate is not a conspiracy.

Ra Energy Fdn.
Raleigh Myers
http://raenergy.igc.org/raenergy.html

Worksheet bio
http://www.igc.apc.org/raenergy/bio.html

Newsgroups beginning in the eighties click on date and web
http://groups.google.com/groups?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Ra+Energy+Fdn%2E%22

Call to Action blog
http://www.google.com/search?q=Global+Vote+raenergy&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=02Eigc%2Eorg%2Faction%2Ehtml

We are not finished yet, Fascism is still here

Sing this at the polls NOV 2 SING THE VOTE
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=this_land&preplay=1&ratingBar=off

Re: vote fraud. --all exit polls were wrong?

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ CONSUMER PROTECTION FOR ELECTIONS

TUESDAY Nov 2 2004: BREAKING NEWS: New information indicates that hackers
may have targeted the central computers that are counting our votes.

----
Voting without auditing. (Are we insane?)

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON Nov 3 2004 -- Did the voting machines trump exit polls?
ThereÂ?s a way to find out.

Black Box Voting (.ORG) is conducting the largest Freedom of Information
action in history. At 8:30 p.m. Election Night, Black Box Voting blanketed
the U.S. with the first in a series of public records requests, to obtain
internal computer logs and other documents from 3,000 individual counties
and townships. Networks called the election before anyone bothered to
perform even the most rudimentary audit.

America: We have permission to say No to this. It is our right.

We call on every candidate not to concede. Don't play along. It is your right.

Among the first requests sent to counties (with all kinds of voting systems
-- optical scan, touch-screen, and punch card) is a formal records request
for internal audit logs, polling place results slips, modem transmission
logs, and computer trouble slips.

Such a request filed in King County, Washington on Sept. 15, following the
primary election six weeks ago, uncovered an internal audit log containing
a three-hour deletion on election night; Â?trouble slipsÂ? revealing
suspicious modem activity; and profound problems with security, including
accidental disclosure of critically sensitive remote access information to
poll workers, office personnel, and even, in a shocking blunder, to Black
Box Voting activists.

Black Box Voting is a nonpartisan, nonprofit consumer protection group for
elections. You may view the first volley of Freedom of Information requests
here below.

Responses from public officials will be posted in the forum, organized by
state and county, so that any news organization or citizens group has
access to the information. Black Box Voting will assist in analysis, by
providing expertise in evaluating the records. Watch for the records
online; Black Box Voting will be posting the results as they come in. And
by the way, these are not free. The more donations we get, the more FOIAs
we are empowered to do. Time's a'wasting.

We look forward to seeing you participate in this process. Join us in
evaluating the previously undisclosed inside information about how our
voting system works.

Play a part in reclaiming transparency. ItÂ?s the only way.

# # # # #

Public Records Request - November 2, 2004
From: Black Box Voting
To: Elections division

Pursuant to public records law and the spirit of fair, trustworthy,
transparent elections, we request the following documents.

We are requesting these as a nonprofit, noncommercial group acting in the
capacity of a news and consumer interest organization, and ask that if
possible, the fees be waived for this request. If this is not possible,
please let us know which records will be provided and the cost. Please
provide records in electronic form, by e-mail, if possible -
crew@blackboxvoting.org.

We realize you are very, very busy with the elections canvass. To the
extent possible, we do ask that you expedite this request, since we are
conducting consumer audits and time is of the essence.

We request the following records.

Item 1. All notes, emails, memos, and other communications pertaining to
any and all problems experienced with the voting system, ballots, voter
registration, or any component of your elections process, beginning October
12, through November 3, 2004.

Item 2. Copies of the results slips from all polling places for the Nov. 2,
2004 election. If you have more than one copy, we would like the copy that
is signed by your poll workers and/or election judges.

Item 3: The internal audit log for each of your Unity, GEMS, WinEds, Hart
Intercivic or other central tabulating machine. Because different
manufacturers call this program by different names, for purposes of
clarification we mean the programs that tally the composite of votes from
all locations.

Item 4: If you are in the special category of having Diebold equipment, or
the VTS or GEMS tabulator, we request the following additional audit logs:

a. The transmission logs for all votes, whether sent by modem or uploaded
directly. You will find these logs in the GEMS menu under Â?Accuvote OS
ServerÂ? and/or Â?Accuvote TS ServerÂ?

b. The Â?audit logÂ? referred to in Item 3 for Diebold is found in the GEMS
menu and is called Â?Audit LogÂ?

c. All Â?Poster logsÂ?. These can be found in the GEMS menu under Â?posterÂ?
and also in the GEMS directory under Program Files, GEMS, Data, as a text
file. Simply print this out and provide it.

d. Also in the Data file directory under Program Files, GEMS, Data, please
provide any and all logs titled Â?CCLog,Â? Â?PosterLogÂ?, and Pserver Log, and
any logs found within the Â?Download,Â? Â?Log,Â? Â?PosterÂ? or Â?ResultsÂ?
directories.

e. We are also requesting the Election Night Statement of Votes Cast, as of
the time you stopped uploading polling place memory cards for Nov. 2, 2004
election.

Item 5: We are requesting every iteration of every interim results report,
from the time the polls close until 5 p.m. November 3.

Item 6: If you are in the special category of counties who have modems
attached, whether or not they were used and whether or not they were turned
on, we are requesting the following:

a. internal logs showing transmission times from each voting machine used
in a polling place

b. The Windows Event Viewer log. You will find this in administrative
tools, Event Viewer, and within that, print a copy of each log beginning
October 12, 2004 through Nov. 3, 2004.

Item 7: All e-mails, letters, notes, and other correspondence between any
employee of your elections division and any other person, pertaining to
your voting system, any anomalies or problems with any component of the
voting system, any written communications with vendors for any component of
your voting system, and any records pertaining to upgrades, improvements,
performance enhancement or any other changes to your voting system, between
Oct. 12, 2004 and Nov. 3, 2004.

Item 8: So that we may efficiently clarify any questions pertaining to your
specific county, please provide letterhead for the most recent
non-confidential correspondence between your office and your county
counsel, or, in lieu of this, just e-mail us the contact information for
your county counsel.

Because time is of the essence, if you cannot provide all items, please
provide them in increments as soon as you have them, and please notify us
by telephone (206-335-7747) or email (Bevharrismail@aol.com) as soon as you
have any portion of the above public records request available for review.

Thank you very much, and hereÂ?s hoping for a smooth and simple canvass
which works out perfectly for you. We very, very much appreciate your help
with this, and we do realize how stressful this election has been.

If you need a local address, please let me know, and we will provide a
local member for this public records request. In the interest of keeping
your life simple, we thought it best to coordinate all records through one
entity so that you donÂ?t get multiple local requests.

# # # # #

We now have evidence that certainly looks like altering a computerized
voting system during a real election, and it happened just six weeks ago.

MONDAY Nov 1 2004: New information indicates that hackers may be targeting
the central computers counting our votes tomorrow. All county elections
officials who use modems to transfer votes from polling places to the
central vote-counting server should disconnect the modems now.

There is no down side to removing the modems. Simply drive the vote
cartridges from each polling place in to the central vote-counting location
by car, instead of transmitting by modem. Â?Turning offÂ? the modems may not
be sufficient. Disconnect the central vote counting server from all modems,
INCLUDING PHONE LINES, not just Internet.

In a very large county, this will add at most one hour to the vote-counting
time, while offering significant protection from outside intrusion.

It appears that such an attack may already have taken place, in a primary
election 6 weeks ago in King County, Washington -- a large jurisdiction
with over one million registered voters. Documents, including internal
audit logs for the central vote-counting computer, along with modem
Â?trouble slipsÂ? consistent with hacker activity, show that the system may
have been hacked on Sept. 14, 2004. Three hours is now missing from the
vote-counting computer's "audit log," an automatically generated record,
similar to the black box in an airplane, which registers certain kinds of
events.

COMPUTER FOLKS:

Here are the details about remote access vulnerability through the modem
connecting polling place voting machines with the central vote-counting
server in each county elections office. This applies specifically to all
Diebold systems (1,000 counties and townships), and may also apply to other
vendors. The prudent course of action is to disconnect all modems, since
the downside is small and the danger is significant.

The central servers are installed on unpatched, open Windows computers and
use RAS (Remote Access Server) to connect to the voting machines through
telephone lines. Since RAS is not adequately protected, anyone in the
world, even terrorists, who can figure out the server's phone number can
change vote totals without being detected by observers.

The passwords in many locations are easily guessed, and the access phone
numbers can be learned through social engineering or war dialing.

ELECTION OFFICIALS: The only way to protect tomorrow's election from this
type of attack is to disconnect the servers from the modems now. Under some
configurations, attacks by remote access are possible even if the modem
appears to be turned off. The modem lines should be physically disconnected.

We obtained these documents through a public records request. The video was
taken at a press conference held by the King County elections chief Friday
Oct 29.

The audit log is a computer-generated automatic record similar to the
"black box" in an airplane, that automatically records access to the
Diebold GEMS central tabulator (unless, of course, you go into it in the
clandestine way we demonstrated on September 22 in Washington DC at the
National Press club.)

The central tabulator audit log is an FEC-required security feature. The
kinds of things it detects are the kinds of things you might see if someone
was tampering with the votes: Opening the vote file, previewing and/or
printing interim results, altering candidate definitions (a method that can
be used to flip votes).

Three hours is missing altogether from the Sept. 14 Washington State
primary held six weeks ago.

Here is a copy of the GEMS audit log.

Note that all entries from 9:52 p.m. until 1:31 a.m. are missing.

One report that GEMS automatically puts in the audit log is the "summary
report." This is the interim results report. We obtained the actual Sept.
14 summary reports, printed directly from the King County tabulator GEMS
program, because we went there and watched on election night and collected
these reports. These reports were also collected by party observers,
candidates, and were on the Web site for King County.

Here are summary reports which are now missing from the audit log.

Note the time and date stamps on the reports. Note also that they are
signed by Dean Logan, King County elections chief. We have the original
reports signed in ink on election night.

What does all this mean?

We know that summary reports show up in the audit log.

There are other audit logs, like the one that tracks modem transmissions,
but this audit log tracks summary reports.

Dean Logan held a press conference Friday morning, Oct. 29. Kathleen Wynne,
a citizen investigator for Black Box Voting, attended the press conference
and asked Dean Logan why three hours are missing from the audit log.

Here is a video clip

Logan said the empty three hours is because no reports were printed. OK.
But we have summary reports from 10:34 p.m., 11:38 p.m., 12:11 a.m., 12:46
a.m., and 1:33 p.m. These reports were during the time he said no reports
were run. Either the software malfunctioned, or audit log items were
deleted. Because remote access through the modems is possible, the system
may have been hacked, audit log deleted, without Logan realizing it.

Perhaps there are two of this particular kind of audit log? Perhaps this is
an incomplete one?

Bev Harris called King County elections office records employee Mary Stoa,
asking if perhaps there are any other audit logs at all. Mary Stoa called
back, reporting that according to Bill Huennikens of King County elections,
the audit log supplied to us in our public records request is the only one
and the comprehensive and complete one.

Perhaps it is a computer glitch?

The audit log is 168 pages long and spans 120 days, and the 3 hours just
happen to be missing during the most critical three hours on election night.

Diebold says altering the audit log cannot be done. Of course, we know a
chimpanzee can't get into an elections office and play with the computer,
but to demonstrate how easy it is to delete audit log entries, we taught a
chimpanzee to delete audit records using an illicit "back door" to get into
the program, Diebold told reporters it was a "magic show." Yet, Diebold's
own internal memos show they have known the audit log could be altered
since 2001!

Here is a Diebold memo from October 2001, titled "Altering the audit log,"
written by Diebold principal engineer Ken Clark:

"King County is famous for it" [altering the audit log]

Here is Dean Logan, telling a Channel 5 King-TV News reporter that there
were no unexpected problems with the Diebold programs. This was at the
"MBOS" central ballot counting facility in King County in the wee hours of
Sept. 15, on Election Night.

Dean Logan on Election Night, Sept 14 2004

Note that he says there were no problems with modem transmission.

When we obtained the trouble slips, in a public records request --
documentation that indeed the modems were not working fine, we were
accidentally given the access phone number for King County.

Were we so inclined, if we had simply kept this under our hat, we could
take control of your central server on election night from our living room.

Here are the trouble slips showing problems with modems. Note that King
County generously provided us with the "secret" information needed to hack
in by remote access. We did redact the specific information that gives this
information to you.

Here are more trouble tickets. One that is a concern: "OK to format memory
card?" (This would wipe out the votes in the electronic ballot box.)

Election officials: Disconnect those modems NOW. If you don't: You gotta be
replaced.
Reporters: Some election officials will lie to you. Show your kids what
bravery looks like. Be courageous. Report the truth.
Citizens: Please help us by joining the Cleanup Crew. For now, e-mail
crew@blackboxvoting.org to join, since our signup form has been taken out.
Candidates: Make a statement. Do not concede on Election Night. Wait until
audits and records can be examined.

# # # # #

HOW TO MONITOR THE CENTRAL TABULATOR: Black Box Voting developed these
guidelines to help you create an audit log, which can then be compared with
the FEC-required computer-generated audit log inside the computer.

Yes, this is a lot of stuff, and it might feel overwhelming, but whatever
you can do -- it is very much appreciated.

THINGS TO BRING WITH YOU
- A notebook and pen. Preferably a notebook with a sewn binding, if you can
find one. Do not take notes on a computer.
- A cell phone
- Binoculars
If you can, also bring these:
- A camera
- A small tape recorder
- A video camera, with a zoom lens if possible

Note that some counties will require you to turn off your video camera
during the entering of passwords, a valid request. You should, however, be
able to videotape the rest. DonÂ?t pull your camera out right away. Avoid
confrontation by leaving your video camera in the bag -- better yet, a
purse. Pull it out only when there is an event of significance.

HUMAN FACTORS

You canÂ?t be effective if you make assumptions or let others intimidate you.
- DonÂ?t let others make you feel dumb.
- Make no assumptions about security. It might be worse than you expect.
- DonÂ?t count on the accuracy of anything other people tell you, even if
they work for the county or the vendor.
- About party observers, techies, or lawyers: Remember that they have not
examined the actual software or setup, and they are operating on
assumptions, hearsay, or in some cases, may be trying to misdirect your
attention.
- Vendor contracts prohibit county officials from examining their own
software. Elections officials may just be repeating what someone else (the
vendor) has told them.

YOUR ROLE AS AN OBSERVER: CREATE YOUR OWN AUDIT LOG so it can be compared
to the real audit log.

Write down the following. For every event, write the date, time, including
minutes.

1. NAMES & AFFILIATIONS: Get the names of everyone there. Find out
affiliation.

2. WHERE ARE THE COMPUTERS: Establish the number and location of all vote
tabulation computers. They call them different things: tabulators, servers.
What you want is the computer that adds up all the votes from everywhere in
the county.
- Some counties have only one. If there are more than one, find out where
each one is. If there is more than one tabulator, ask if they are networked
together and find out if any of them are in places you canÂ?t observe.

3. SYNCHRONIZE YOUR WATCH with the central vote-tally computer. Ask
officials to tell you the time on the computer. If more than one, ask for
the time of each and the ID number of each.

log the date and time, to the minute, in this format:
Nov 02 2004 11:25 p.m.
Nov. 03 2004 01:15 a.m.

CREATE A LOG FOR THE FOLLOWING:

People: Ask names and affiliations for, and log the START and STOP time for:

a. Who accesses the terminal (the keyboard and screen)
b. Who sits at the terminal
c. Who accesses the server (the computer the screen is hooked up to)
d. Who enters and leaves the room

COMPUTER ACTIVITIES: Log the START and STOP time for the following events
and write down the name of the person involved:

a. Putting disks, CDs, or any other item in the computer
b. Taking disks, CDs, or any other item out of the computer
c. Uploading disks, CDs, or any other item
d. Viewing a preview of a report
e. Putting a report on the Web, even if this is done from another computer
f. Printing a report
g. NOTE WHATÂ?S ON THE SCREEN: Use binoculars to view the screen.
- Note upload icons.
- Use binoculars to read and record error messages. Note the time.
- Note indicators of processes, when a status bar shows how much is left to do

h. PROGRAM CRASHES:
- Watch to see if the program suddenly disappears from the screen (a
program crash) or any system error message appears. If so, note the time
and other details, and see below for how to record system crashes.
- Get the date and time and note who was at the computer
- Note whether any results were being transmitted or uploaded at the time
the crash occurred.
- Did the crash take down the whole computer or did it just close the
tabulator program unexpectedly.
- Log all activities and conversations that occur just after the crash. If
have a tape recorder, leave it in your purse, now is the time to turn it
on. But keep making notes regardless of whether you have tape, and trust
your gut. What you think might be important is probably important.

WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU CAN FIND OUT ABOUT MODEMS.

i. Note when, where, and who feeds ballot data into the computer in the
central office. Describe what they are feeding the cards into, where the
items are located, who does it, and when.

j. DISK MANAGEMENT:

- Note what kind of data storage device is used to move data around. You
are looking for floppy disks, CDs, USB keys (about the size of a pack of gum).
- Note where they get the disk from originally (whether it was from the
machine, meaning it could have a program or data on it already, or out of a
package of new disks).
- Track the chain of custody: Where it is taken, and have someone watch it
when taken to any other machine, note what programs you can see on the
other machine
- Note whether (and what time) it comes back and if it is put into the
machine again.
k. Moving the results: They have to move the results somehow. Ask questions
about their procedures.
- Is someone coming and going every hour or so with paper results?
- Are they moving results to the Internet with a floppy or CD or USB key
(looks like a little piece of plastic, about the size of a piece of gum)
- If no one is leaving the machine to post the results, chances are they
are doing this at the computer, meaning they are probably hooked up to a
network or the Internet. Ask questions about the details and record what
they say, and the name of the person who says it.
l. If you see somebody open a web page or they do something that lets you
know there has been Internet access, write it down.

m. BEHAVIORAL CUES:

- Note whether people look worried or stressed. Log the time it begins and
the time it ends and who they are.
- A now a word about Â?wranglers.Â? Some elections offices appoint a person
-- sometimes a party observer they are chummy with -- to act as
Â?wranglers.Â? They identify any person who might ask troublesome questions,
and if an event occurs that could cause embarrassment, the appointed
wrangler then goes over to distract the observers. Really. This is an
elections procedure in some jurisdictions. They actually call it a wrangler.
- If someone comes over and engages you in conversation, look around, and
see if officials have suddenly congregated into an office or people are
huddling over a computer. See if you can find out what you are not supposed
to see.
- Log behavior that is distracting, noting the time and person.
- Log time and people involved in other distraction events, for example:
The lights suddenly go out; a fire alarm goes off; someone spills
something, loud noises, someone knocks something over.

RECORDS TO REQUEST:

Each state has a public records act, but in most cases, you can get records
you ask for if you are nice. Here are important records youÂ?ll want:

1. Get a copy of each INTERIM RESULTS REPORT. Stand guard over what you
have. If someone comes in to remove or Â?replace one with a better copyÂ?
hang onto the first and take the replacement, marking it. Make sure all
interim reports are time-stamped by the computer. If they arenÂ?t, note the
exact time you see them appear.

2. Request the COMPUTER AUDIT LOG for Oct. 29-Nov 2 (actually, it is
important to get the printout BEFORE YOU LEAVE that night. It will only be
a few pages, and can be printed from the vote-tally programÂ?s menu.

3. Ask for a copy of all the POLLING PLACE RESULTS SLIPS. These are sent in
with the results cartridges. Try to get copies before you leave that night.
If they wonÂ?t give copies to you then, put in a public records request and
ask how soon you can pick them up.

4. Ask for a copy of THE UPLOAD LOGS. These are on the computer and can be
printed out on election night. They list each polling place and the time
results were uploaded.

5. There are ADDITIONAL LOGS in the Diebold GEMS programs you can request:
From the GEMS folder Â?dataÂ?, ask for the poster logs. There may be folders
in the GEMS Â?dataÂ? directory titled Â?downloadÂ?, Â?logÂ?, Â?posterÂ? and
Â?resultsÂ?. Ask for copies of these logs.

6. HereÂ?s a report that is very long but incredibly important and valuable.
Ask if you can have the ELECTION NIGHT DETAIL REPORT -- the precinct by
precinct results as of the time all memory cards are uploaded from all
precincts. Depending on the system, theyÂ?ll call it different things -- in
Diebold, it is called the Statement of Votes Cast (SOVC) report.

7. Let us know which REPORTS THEY REFUSE to give you on Election Night. We
can then put in Freedom of Information (public records) requests formally.

Once we have your observation log, and the records you obtain on Election
Night, we can start matching up events and data to audit for anomalies.

# # # # #

Post information in the county and state at BlackBoxVoting.ORG. If the site
is hacked out, come back as soon as it is up and post the information.

Thank you, and letÂ?s have an orderly election.

# # # # #

Now, there is a film crew who has been brave enough to capture what's
really going on:

THIS IS THE ONE: Here's the film that's breaking new ground on voting
machine investigations. Includes never before seen footage and information:

download 30 minute preview of the upcoming feature film.

NOTE: Please give your attention to the real film by the real
investigators: Russell Michaels, Simon Ardizzone, and Robert Carrillo Cohen
-- they are the real deal. (Someone who ran off with a portion of the
proprietary footage has been pitching a similarly named, inferior
production which is missing most of the good stuff.) By the way, we've
worked with most of the documentary producers out there, and Russell
Michaels, Simon Ardizzone and Robert Carrillo Cohen are in a class by
themselves -- In my opinion, they are the only filmmakers who have been
doing real, in-depth, long-term in-the-field investigations on this issue
-- Bev Harris.

Remember:

- Don't concede: Candidates, make a statement about voting without
auditing. Hold off on your concession until the canvass is done
- Gotta be replaced: If your county melts down into litigation, hold
officials accountable if they chose to ignore warnings and failed to
mitigate risks with preventive actions (like disconnecting telephone modems).

Note that most voting machine problems will be found between Nov. 3-12,
during the canvass, and a few weeks later, when public records requests are
obtained.

Ra Energy Fdn.
Raleigh Myers
Worksheet bio
http://www.igc.apc.org/raenergy/bio.html
Blog
http://raenergy.blogspot.com/

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a
boot stamping on a human face -- for ever." -
George Orwell, 1984 http://www.holdthemaccountable2004.com/home.htm

Sing this at the polls NOV 2 TAKIN' MY COUTRY BACK sing it http://www.takinmycountryback.com/main.htm

Sing this at the polls NOV 2 SING THE VOTE
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=this_land&preplay=1&ratingBar=off
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE in song is the first step to a fascism free planet
"THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND, THIS LAND IS MADE FOR YOU AND ME"

IMAGINE: WE are children of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; WE ALL have a right to be here

START SINGING THE PLANET'S ANTHEM AT ALL EVENTS TO SHOW HOW "WE" HAVE ALREADY VOTED.
This would get some air time if we did it at GOP campaign events even in congress this Summer and fall and beyond after all it is the anthem of the Age of Aquarius no. We suggested that "THIS LAND" be the Global Village Planetary anthem at Woodies celebration in San Francisco at the Geary Theater in 1967. It was seconded by three ambassadors and has become the second third fourth etc. anthems to many countries.

FOLKSAY(people say) ............ has become Our defacto Global Village Planetary anthem and in essence we voted for citizen empowerment as we sung it. Now let's get it officially on record by singing it everywhere as direct democracy.
THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF AQUARIUS is the reality at hand! The children of the universe, the right to be here generation _ the meek taking their prophetic inheritance out of probate is not a conspiracy.

Ra Energy Fdn.
Raleigh Myers
http://raenergy.igc.org/raenergy.html

Worksheet bio
http://www.igc.apc.org/raenergy/bio.html

Newsgroups beginning in the eighties click on date and web
http://groups.google.com/groups?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Ra+Energy+Fdn%2E%22

Call to Action blog
http://www.google.com/search?q=Global+Vote+raenergy&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=02Eigc%2Eorg%2Faction%2Ehtml

Twelve Ways Bush Is Now Stealing the Ohio Vote

Ra Energy Fdn.
Raleigh Myers
Worksheet bio
http://www.igc.apc.org/raenergy/bio.html
Blog
http://raenergy.blogspot.com/

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a
boot stamping on a human face -- for ever." -
George Orwell, 1984 http://www.holdthemaccountable2004.com/home.htm

Sing this at the polls NOV 2 TAKIN' MY COUTRY BACK sing it http://www.takinmycountryback.com/main.htm

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2004/810

Twelve Ways Bush Is Now Stealing the Ohio Vote

By Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman

The Republican "November Surprise" to steal the 2004 election is in
full force here in Ohio. With polls showing a dead heat, the GOP is
staging an all-out attack on a fair vote count in the Buckeye State.

Here are a dozen ways they're doing it:

* Under an archaic Ohio law, both the Republican and Democratic
Parties, or any slate of five candidates, may embed official election
challengers inside polling places. The New York Times reported on
Oct. 23 that the Republican Party intends to place thousands of
lawyers and other GOP faithfuls inside the polls to challenge
voters. Republican insiders confide here that the key goal is to
jam lines and frustrate new voters. The GOP apparently figures many
voters in key Democratic precincts won't wait in line more than 15
minutes to vote. This is certain to be a major tactic in Cleveland's
Cuyahoga County and other Democratic strongholds. The GOP is not
planning to challenge voters in Republican districts.

* The Republican party has sent letters challenging thousands of
Franklin County students who are registered to vote absentee.
Franklin County is home to Columbus, the state's largest city and
its capitol. Though it is also home to Ohio State University,
thousands of local students go to schools outside the county or
state. The GOP apparently does not want their votes counted. This
unprecedented mass challenge has prompted the Franklin County Board
of Elections, whose director is a conservative Republican, to reserve
the large Veterans Memorial Auditorium downtown to process the
challenges this Thursday, as John Kerry comes to town with Bruce
Springsteen. The County has told thousands of students that if they
don't appear in Columbus to answer the GOP challenges, they may lose
their right to vote.

* The Franklin County Board of Elections has called or written an
undetermined number of voters who obtained absentee ballots,
challenging their addresses. In at least one case, after a series of
angry phone calls, the Board admitted there was nothing wrong with
the address in question and re-instated voting rights. The voter in
question was a registered Democrat. His wife, an independent at the
same address, was not challenged. It is unclear how many others have
been wrongly knocked out.

* Even if they are counted, Franklin County's absentee ballot forms
are rigged in ways strikingly reminiscent of those in Florida 2000.
On many absentee forms, Kerry is listed third on the list of
presidential candidates. But the actual number you punch for Kerry
is "4." If you punch "3" you've just voted for Bush. Sound familiar?

* Franklin County's right wing Elections Director is insisting
on e-voting machines which have malfunctioned in at least two
Congressional elections, and which have no paper trail. The November
issues of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics Magazines ran the
following headlines on their covers, respectively: "E-vote emergency:
And you thought dimpled chads were bad'" and "Could hackers tilt the
election?" Vigorous protests against the paperless machines have
been staged here, but many will be used, rendering a meaningful
recount impossible.

* In four other Ohio counties, the notorious Diebold company, whose
CEO Wally O'Dell has pledged to deliver Ohio's votes to Bush, will
provide the e-voting machines to count votes without any paper trail
while using proprietary "secret" software. O'Dell lives in the
wealthy Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington and is a major Bush donor.

* Twenty GOP-dominated Ohio counties have given wrong information to
former felons about their voter eligibility. In Hamilton County, home
of Cincinnati and the Republican Taft family, officials told numerous
former felons that a judge had to sign off before they could vote,
which is blatantly false.

* Franklin County, which normally cancels 2-300 registered voters a
year for felony convictions, has sent at least 3500 cancellation
letters to both current felons and ex-felons whose convictions date
back to 1998. The list includes numerous citizens who were charged
with felonies but convicted only of misdemeanors.

* Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell has reversed a
long-standing Ohio practice and is barring voters from casting
provisional ballots within their county if they are registered to
vote but there's been a mistake about where they are expected to cast
their ballot. In this year's spring primaries, Blackwell allowed
voters to cast provisional ballots by county, even if they were in
the wrong precinct. But this fall, such voters will have to leave the
wrong precinct and find their way to the right one. Blackwell hopes
to succeed Republican Bob Taft as governor, and has labored hard to
install e-voting machines with no paper trail, to give the statewide
contract to Diebold, and to take a long series of steps apparently
designed to help hand Ohio to George W. Bush. Blackwell is being
widely compared to the infamous Katherine Harris, who handed Florida
to George W. Bush in 2000 and was rewarded with a safe Congressional
seat.

* The Columbus Dispatch (which has endorsed Bush) and WVKO
Radio have both documented phone calls from people impersonating
Board of Elections workers and directing registered voters to
different and incorrect polling sites. One individual was falsely
told not to vote at the polling station across the street from his
house, but at a "new" site, four miles away. Under Blackwell's new
rules, such a vote would not be counted.

* In Cincinnati, some 150,000 voters were moved from active to
inactive status within the last four years for not voting in the last
two federal elections. This is not required under Ohio law, but is an
option allowed and exercised by the Republican-dominated Hamilton
County Board of Elections.

* Secretary of State Blackwell ruled that any voter registration
form on other than 80-pound weight bond paper would not be accepted.
This is an old law left over from pre-scanning days. Many voters who
had registered on lighter paper, had their registration returned,
even though the forms had been officially sanctioned by local
election boards.

No Republican has ever won the presidency without carrying Ohio.
This year the GOP seems determined to win it, no matter what they
have do to the electoral process.

=====================================================
Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman are co-authors of GEORGE W. BUSH
VERSUS THE SUPERPOWER OF PEACE and IMPRISON GEORGE BUSH, from
www.freepress.org.

All content ) 1970-2004
The Columbus Free Press

Sing this at the polls NOV 2 SING THE VOTE
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=this_land&preplay=1&ratingBar=off

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QUOTES for today

        Â?Once global oil peaks, and we need to start pumping Saddam's oil, I
expect Americans to invade and occupy Iraq. Moreover, profits will flow to
friends of George Bush Â not some wild-eyed, gun-waving crackpot like
Saddam. Obviously, once oil production peaks in a couple of years, the
public will throw their total support behind an invasion of Iraq." -- Jay
Hanson in 1997

        "Conquered states that have been accustomed to liberty and the government
of their own laws can be held by the conqueror in three different ways. The
first is to ruin them; the second, for the conqueror to go and reside there
in person; and the third is to allow them to continue to live under their
own laws, subject to a regular tribute, and to create in them a government
of a few, who will keep the country friendly to the conqueror." -- Niccolo
Machiavelli, in The Prince

        Â?Terrorism is the best political weapon, for nothing drives people
harder than a fear of sudden death.Â? -- Adolf Hitler

=========================

A day that will decide the fate of the world
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington 02 November 2004
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=578458

For once, the clichÃ© wheeled out by desperate politicians trying to
terrify their lazier supporters into voting is no lie. This is indeed the
most important American election of modern times. Indeed, it is arguably
the most important single election of modern times.

>From the fate of the Middle East, to the global scourge of terror and the
threat of nuclear proliferation, to the economic and financial future of
the world's greatest debtor nation Â on all these issues, the next
occupant of the Oval Office must make decisions that will shape history. If
that were not enough, the country, which chooses today between John Kerry
and George Bush, is as divided as at any time in its history.

The differences that the candidates embody are not merely of policy but of
values and culture. The division marks a line between two Americas. On the
one hand stands the "Metro America" of the coasts and the great cities,
internationally attuned and socially more liberal, worried about the
decline in America's reputation in the world. Then there is what has been
called "Retro America," socially conservative, happy to live in a
continental nation sufficient unto itself, populated by "good guys" chosen
by God. No prizes for guessing which America supports which candidate.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

European Press Voices Anxiety, Dread Over 'Mother of All Elections' in US
Published on November 2, 2004 by Agence France Presse
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1102-24.htm

PARIS - Europe's newspapers voiced anxiety and dread as they mulled the
future of America, Europe and the world according to who wins the
cliffhanger US presidential vote, dubbed the "mother of all elections."
"The world holds its breath," says Italy's La Repubblica, as American
voters were set to head to the polls to choose between incumbent George W.
Bush and his Democratic challenger John Kerry. Austria's popular Krone
daily warned "the mother of all elections" was set to throw "our world
either into a calmer future or into new military adventures." "Good luck,
America," says Berlin's left-wing Tageszeitung above an image of a slot
machine. "American voters today decide their future and that of the entire
world."

Papers across the continent voiced fears of a repeat of the vote-counting
debacle of the equally close 2000 presidential race whose result was
delayed for five weeks until the Supreme Court finally awarded victory to
Bush. Many papers lamented that the election was restricted to US voters.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Mail scheme earns stamp of disapproval
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared/news/politics/stories/11/01
bookman.html
By Jay Bookman Cox News Service
Monday, November 01, 2004

What I was trying to say was this: Make sure you vote, if you haven't
already. Because there are places in this world where powerful forces will
do everything they can to try to stop you.

Places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Ohio.

Recently, tens of thousands of new voters in Ohio were sent registered
letters from the state Republican Party. If the targeted voters weren't
home to sign a receipt when the mail carrier came Â? if they were working,
or at school, or serving in Iraq, for example Â? they were left a note,
telling them they would have to go down to their local post office during
the work day to sign for and receive the campaign literature.

If you live in a swing state such as Ohio, you're deluged with campaign ads
and pieces of campaign mail. So it's not surprising that 35,427 Ohio voters
declined the chance to go down to the post office to sign for yet another
pamphlet. They had better things to do, and they had no way of knowing that
their refusal would become trumped-up evidence that almost cost them the
right to vote.

You see, the registered mail was Step One of a sophisticated scam. Armed
with a list of those who didn't pick up their registered letters, the state
Republican Party initiated Step Two by filing legal challenges against
their right to vote, claiming those voters either didn't exist or didn't
live at those addresses. The idea was to force all 35,000 to either appear
at Board of Elections hearings to prove their right to vote, or be stricken
from the rolls.

Fortunately, the whole thing collapsed at Step Three, when the challenge
hearings were held. In Summit County, where more than 950 challenges were
filed, the process was abandoned after the first four cases. The voters
who showed up were outraged at having to take time off from work to defend
their right to vote, as they should be. And when the Republicans were asked
to produce their proof that the voters were ineligible, all they had was
the failure to sign for a registered letter.

To their credit, even Republican members of the election boards were
appalled by what their party had done. In Summit County, in the Akron area,
Republican Joseph Hutchinson made the motion to have all challenges thrown
out because, as he said, "There was no evidence." His motion was seconded
by board member Alex Arshinkoff, the head of the county Republican Party,
who called the process "a train wreck" plotted by the state GOP.

Later, a federal judge ordered a temporary halt to all challenge hearings
in Ohio, a ruling that the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Friday.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Wary Colorado prepares for no confidence vote
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1341109,00.html
Monday November 1, 2004

A rash of problems over election rules has left Coloradans unsure whether
their votes tomorrow will count, writes Sarah Left

In less than 24 hours, the polls will open in Colorado and voters will
begin queuing up to cast their ballots. It should be a relatively simple
process, but this year a series of new rules, late lawsuits and partisan
fracturing have thrown the process of casting a ballot into doubt.

There have been lawsuits to challenge new election rules. There have been
charges of partisan voter intimidation, and counter charges that those
charges amounted to a politically-motivated smear campaign. Some county
clerks are still struggling to consolidate double-listed voters on their
rolls. Election judges have received confused advice about the voting
rights of convicted felons.

The aura of uncertainty has left Coloradans unsure if they will be turned
away from the polls, or if their votes will count. Much of the uncertainty
surrounds the dizzying number of ways of qualifying for a provisional
ballot, a sort of emergency ballot that allows voters to cast a vote at the
polls, then have their eligibility checked after the election. About 27,000
people cast provisional ballots in the 2002 election, and figures from
early voting in this election suggest about 2,400 such ballots have been
cast.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

AP Will Be Sole Source of Vote Count
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=696&e=1&u
=/ap/20041101/ap_on_el_pr/ap_vote_count
Mon Nov 1, 2:22 PM ET

NEW YORK - News organizations will be relying on The Associated Press for a
quick and accurate count of votes cast in Tuesday's elections, from top of
the ticket races like president, Senate and governor, down through state
legislature.

The AP will use a network of nearly 5,000 stringers, who will be stationed
at county election centers in every state. They will phone in results to
one of several vote entry centers, where clerks will enter the numbers into
AP's computerized tabulation system. Those returns, from about 6,000 races
in all, will then be delivered to newspapers, Web sites and broadcasters,
including the television networks, in a variety of formats.

In recent elections, AP was one of two organizations collecting the vote
nationwide. The other was Voter News Service, a consortium of AP and five
television networks which also conducted exit polls. VNS was disbanded
after it ran into problems in 2000 and 2002, and the networks turned to AP
for vote counting, while hiring two veteran pollsters to conduct the exit
polls.

AP's system has been enhanced this year with numerous safeguards to ensure
a smooth and accurate operation. "We've added more redundancy and quality
control to an already well-established vote tallying operation," said John
Reid, AP's senior vice president for Services & Technology. "For instance,
AP's systems contain voting patterns from past elections, and if a number
is outside of those parameters it's double-checked for accuracy." Because
a large number of voters are expected to cast absentee or provisional
ballots, election officials may not finish tabulating their votes until
several days after Nov. 2. AP will keep its system up and running as long
as significant new totals are being reported.

AP, the world's oldest and largest newsgathering organization, has been
counting the vote since its founding in 1848, when Zachary Taylor of the
Whig Party defeated Democrat Lewis Cass. AP provides content to more than
15,000 news outlets with a daily reach of 1 billion people around the
world. Its multimedia services are distributed by satellite and the
Internet to more than 120 nations.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

G.O.P. Can Challenge Voters at Ohio Polls, Court Rules
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/02/politics/campaign/02cnd-ohio.html

In a day of see-sawing court rulings, a federal appeals court ruled early
today that the Republican Party could place thousands of people inside
polling places to challenge the eligibility of voters, a blow to Democrats
who had argued that those challengers would intimidate minority voters. The
ruling, by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in
Cincinnati, reversed two lower courts that had blocked the challenges just
the day before. It also came as squadrons of lawyers from both parties in
Ohio and other swing states, like Pennsylvania and Florida and New Mexico,
were preparing for Election Day skirmishes that will include using arcane
laws that allow challenges at the polls... Judge Rogers was appointed by
President Bush. Judge Ryan was appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Judge
Cole [who dissented] was appointed by President Bill Clinton."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Republicans Lose 11th-Hour Suit to Disenfranchise Voters in Broward County;
Fear 2 Million Early Florida Voters Are Mostly Democrats
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/10073037.htm?template=contentModules/
printstory.jsp&1c

With less than 12 hours before the polls open, Republicans laid the
groundwork for a possible legal challenge to the presidential election with
an eleventh-hour lawsuit questioning the accuracy of the voting rolls in
Broward County, the most heavily Democratic county in Florida. In an
emergency court hearing that ended at 8:30 tonight, Broward County Circuit
Judge David Krathen ruled that the suit was groundless and he didn't want
to micromanage the election'... Lawyers for the Kerry-Edwards campaign
countered that Republicans could have pointed out potential problems with
the voter rolls earlier in the elections calendar, and that Bush attorneys
are resorting to last-minute legal maneuvering because they fear that the 2
million people who voted early in Florida are largely Democratic voters.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Ballot Measures in 34 States Â 14 of which are Presidential Battleground
- are Likely to Impact the Election
163 Measures Qualify for Statewide Ballots in 2004 General Election
http://www.ballot.org/pressroom/2004preelectionreport.html

New Comprehensive Election Preview Report Now Available

Washington, D.C. - A total of 163 measures have qualified for statewide
ballots this year, finds a new report released today by the Ballot
Initiative Strategy Center. The most contentious, potential vote driving
measures are on the ballot in the swing states of Florida, Michigan,
Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Arizona, and Arkansas.

Â?In what is one of the most contentious Presidential races in recent
history, ballot initiatives are playing their part in attracting voters to
the polls,Â? said Kristina Wilfore, Executive Director of the Ballot
Initiative Strategy Center. Â?Activists from both sides of the political
spectrum are leveraging the power of the initiative to appeal to voters on
many levels, whether through their checkbooks or their stance on social and
economic justice issues. In either case, ballot measures are likely to have
a significant impact on turnout in the November election.Â?

Of the 163 measures that have qualified for the ballot 57 were put forward
by citizen-petitioned signature drives (known as initiatives or popular
referenda) and 106 were referred by state legislatures (known as
referenda). Same-sex marriage, minimum wage increases, medical malpractice
and consumer rights, the environment, gambling, and health care are among
some of the most popular issues this year. California leads the pack as the
state with the most ballot measures - 16 respectively (9 are from the
people), Rhode Island comes in a close second with 14 legislative referrals
(all bonds) followed by Oklahoma with nine referenda. Five states hold the
honor of tying for fourth, with eight measures on the ballot in Alabama,
Florida, Nebraska, Nevada, and Oregon.

Measures with the greatest political impact include:
Â? Raising the minimum wage in Florida and Nevada
Â? Medical malpractice and insurance industry regulations in Florida,
Nevada, Oregon
Â? Prohibition of same sex marriage in Arkansas, Michigan, Oregon and Ohio
Â? Election reform (electoral college in Colorado and anti-nepotism for
Senate seats in Alaska) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Iraq Oil Pipelines Hit by Biggest Attacks Yet
November 2, 2004 by Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=IPJROZFUYCYL2CRBAE0CF
EY?type=topNews&storyID=6692989

Saboteurs have mounted the biggest attacks yet on Iraq 's oil
infrastructure, blowing up three pipelines in the north and hitting exports
via Turkey, oil officials said Tuesday. The attacks, which were hours
apart, sharply reduced crude oil supplies to Iraq's biggest refinery at
Baiji. The government is already struggling to build up stocks of refined
oil products ahead of winter.

Sabotage against oil facilities in north and central Iraq has intensified
in the past few weeks as U.S. forces attacked Sunni Muslim cities where
insurgents have support. Imports of refined products have been also
disrupted. The first pipeline attack Monday night destroyed a section of
the Iraq-Turkey export pipeline in the Riyadh area, 65 km southwest of the
oil producing center of Kirkuk, officials at the state North Oil Company
said. It was followed by two further attacks, including one in the Qoshqaya
region northwest of the city on a pipeline connected to the Bai Hassam
oilfield and feeding the main export pipeline, officials said.

Reuters Television footage showed huge blazes with no fire crews to be
seen. "We cut off all flows for now. The Qoshqaya fire is covering around
one square kilometer. The export pipeline fire is also big," one official
said.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Presidential campaigns, voters upset about misleading calls
http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm1049_20041101.htm
Monday, November 1, 2004

Some voters on Monday complained of getting misleading automated phone
calls over the weekend telling them either that their polling place had
changed or that a vote for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry was
a vote to legalize gay marriage.

The messages - known as robo calls - were placed in heavily Democratic
cities of Detroit, Flint and Pontiac and the Democratic-leaning city of
Grand Rapids. Â?When you vote this Tuesday, remember to legalize gay
marriage by supporting John Kerry,Â? the call said. Â?ItÂ?s what we all
want. ItÂ?s a basic Democratic principle.Â?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Federal Court Overturns Ohio Ban on Reporters in Polling Places
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content
_id=1000697509
By Joe Strupp November 02, 2004 updated 3:45 PM EDT

NEW YORK A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned a directive from the
Ohio secretary of state that had barred reporters and photographers from
polling places, finding the restriction unconstitutional. The ruling "says
that the court cannot support the proposed restricton of the First
Amendment guarantee," attorney Karen Lefton, who represented the Akron
Beacon Journal in the appeal. "I think it was important to establish media
access to voting places."

The 2-1 decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals came down at about
3 p.m., Lefton said, adding that the appeal had been filed early Tuesday
morning. Prior to the reversal, some newspaper editors had urged staffers
to ignore the order and seek access to voting sites until they were ordered
out.

"We are going to proceed on the assumption we will get in and will until we
get thrown out," Doug Clifton, editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland,
said this morning, estimating that up to 50 of his newsroom staffers would
be visiting polling places Tuesday in the hotly contested state. "They were
getting in this morning [Tuesday], but not everywhere."

In addition, at least one paper -- The Columbus Dispatch -- had registered
newsroom employees as election challengers so they could gain access to
polling places. "We filed to be challengers because election officials said
they would strictly enforce laws regulating who can be in polling places --
voters, poll workers and challengers only," Dispatch Editor Ben Marrison
wrote in a column. "Dispatch staffers are registered as challengers for
every precinct in Franklin and Delaware counties." Marrison could not be
reached for comment Tuesday morning.

The Dispatch opted for the challenger approach after Secretary of State
Kenneth Blackwell issued his directive to local election officials on Oct.
20, reminding them that state law prohibits anyone from entering polling
places unless they are voting, monitoring the area as a challenger, or
working as a voting official or witness.

The Akron Beacon Journal filed suit against Blackwell's directive, a
challenge denied by U.S. District Judge Paul Matia on Monday. But the
Beacon Journal's appeal, filed at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, proved successful just
hours later.

Two other directives by Blackwell to bar exit pollers and registered
challengers from polling places were blocked in separate court rulings
within the last two days. Those court orders allowed challengers to be in
the polling places and exit pollers to be within the 100-foot perimeter set
by Blackwell but not inside the polling places themselves.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Bin Laden: Goal is to bankrupt U.S.
Al-Jazeera releases full transcript of al Qaeda leader's tape
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/index.html

The Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera released a full transcript Monday of
the most recent videotape from Osama bin Laden in which the head of al
Qaeda said his group's goal is to force America into bankruptcy. Al-Jazeera
aired portions of the videotape Friday but released the full transcript of
the entire tape on its Web site Monday.

"We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of
bankruptcy. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah," bin Laden
said in the transcript. He said the mujahedeen fighters did the same thing
to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s, "using guerrilla warfare
and the war of attrition to fight tyrannical superpowers." "We, alongside
the mujahedeen, bled Russia for 10 years until it went bankrupt and was
forced to withdraw in defeat," bin Laden said.

He also said al Qaeda has found it "easy for us to provoke and bait this
administration." "All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the
furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda,
in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human,
economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note
other than some benefits for their private corporations," bin Laden said.

Al-Jazeera executives said they decided to post the entire speech because
rumors were circulating that the network omitted parts that "had direct
threats toward specific states, which was totally untrue." "We chose the
most newsworthy parts of the address and aired them. The rest was used in
lower thirds in graphics format," said one official. U.S. intelligence
officials Monday confirmed that the transcript made public Monday by
Al-Jazeera was a complete one.

As part of the "bleed-until-bankruptcy plan," bin Laden cited a British
estimate that it cost al Qaeda about $500,000 to carry out the attacks of
September 11, 2001, an amount that he said paled in comparison with the
costs incurred by the United States. "Every dollar of al Qaeda defeated a
million dollars, by the permission of Allah, besides the loss of a huge
number of jobs," he said. "As for the economic deficit, it has reached
record astronomical numbers estimated to total more than a trillion
dollars.

The total U.S. national debt is more than $7 trillion. The U.S. federal
deficit was $413 billion in 2004, according to the Treasury Department.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Withdrawal is the only honorable way out
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/geted.pl5?eo20041101db.htm

WASHINGTON -- Iraq has become the central issue in America's presidential
campaign, but neither candidate has a solution for a conflict that has cost
more than 1,100 American lives. Unfortunately, the killing will continue
until the United States and its allies withdraw their forces, leaving Iraq
to the Iraqis.

America's dead "have made the ultimate sacrifice defending freedom," said
White House spokesman Scott McClellan. They have made the ultimate
sacrifice, but, sadly, we know that the war was a mistake.

Rather than admit error when its claims that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein
possessed weapons of mass destruction proved false, the administration
seamlessly switched rationales. The war, officials said, actually was about
spreading democracy.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

COSTS OF THE IRAQ WAR (COMPLETE)
http://prorev.com/iraqcosts.htm
[Prepared by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy In Focus]
KEY FINDINGS

1. U.S. Military Casualties Have Been Highest During the "Transition": U.S.
military casualties (wounded and killed) stand at a monthly average of 747
since the so-called "transition" to Iraqi rule on June 28, 2004. This
contrasts with a monthly average of 482 U.S. military casualties during the
invasion (March 20-May 1, 2003) and a monthly average of 415 during the
occupation (May 2, 2003- June 28, 2004).

2. Non-Iraqi Contractor Deaths Have Also Been Highest During the
"Transition": There has also been a huge increase in the average monthly
deaths of U.S. and other non-Iraqi contractors since the "transition." On
average, 17.5 contractors have died each month since the June 28
"transition," versus 7.6 contractor deaths per month during the previous 14
months of occupation.

3. Estimated Strength of Iraqi Resistance Skyrockets: Because the U.S.
military occupation remains in place, the "transition" has failed to win
Iraqi support or diminish Iraqi resistance to the occupation. According to
Pentagon estimates, the number of Iraqi resistance fighters has quadrupled
between November of 2003 and early September 2004, from 5,000 to 20,000.
The Deputy Commander of Coalition forces in Iraq, British Major General
Andrew Graham, indicated to Time magazine in early September that he thinks
the 20,000 estimate is too low; he estimates Iraqi resistance strength at
40,000-50,000. This rise is even starker when juxtaposed to Brookings
Institution estimates that an additional 24,000 Iraqi resistance fighters
have been detained or killed between May 2003 and August 2004.

4. U.S.- led Coalition Shrinks Further After "Transition": The number of
countries identified as members of the Coalition backing the U.S.-led war
started with 30 on March 18, 2003, then grew in the early months of the
war. Since then, eight countries have withdrawn their troops and Costa Rica
has demanded to be taken off the coalition list. At the war's start,
coalition countries represented 19.1 percent of the world's population;
today, the remaining countries with foces in Iraq represent only 13.6
percent of the world's population.

HUMAN COSTS TO THE U.S. AND ALLIES

U.S. Military Deaths: Between the start of war on March 19, 2003 and
September 22, 2004, 1,175 coalition forces were killed, including 1,040
U.S. military. Of the total, 925 were killed after President Bush declared
the end of combat operations on May 1, 2003. Over 7,413 U.S. troops have
been wounded since the war began, 6,953 (94 percent) since May 1, 2003.

Contractor Deaths: As of September 22, 2004, there has been an estimated
154 civilian contractors, missionaries, and civilian worker deaths since
May 1, 2004. Of these, 52 have been identified as Americans.

Journalist Deaths: Forty-four international media workers have been killed
in Iraq as of September 22, 2004, including 33 since President Bush
declared the end of combat operations. Eight of the dead worked for U.S.
companies.

SECURITY COSTS

Terrorist Recruitment and Action: According to the London-based
International Institute for Strategic Studies, al Qaeda's membership is now
at 18,000, with 1,000 active in Iraq. The State Department's 2003 "Patterns
of Global Terrorism," documented 625 deaths and 3,646 injuries due to
terrorist attacks in 2003. The report acknowledged that "significant
incidents," increased from 60 percent of total attacks in 2002 to 84
percent in 2003.

Low U.S. Credibility: Polls reveal that the war has damaged the U.S.
government's standing and credibility in the world. Surveys in eight
European and Arab countries demonstrated broad public agreement that the
war has hurt, rather than helped, the war on terrorism. At home, 52 percent
of Americans polled by the Annenberg Election Survey disapprove of Bush's
handling of Iraq.

Military Mistakes: A number of former military officials have criticized
the war, including retired Marine General Anthony Zinni, who has charged
that by manufacturing a false rationale for war, abandoning traditional
allies, propping up and trusting Iraqi exiles, and failing to plan for
post-war Iraq, the Bush Administration made the United States less secure.

Low Troop Morale and Lack of Equipment: A March 2004 army survey found 52
percent of soldiers reporting low morale, and three-fourths reporting they
were poorly led by their officers. Lack of equipment has been an ongoing
problem. The Army did not fully equip soldiers with bullet-proof vests
until June 2004, forcing many families to purchase them out of their own
pockets.

Loss of First Responders: National Guard troops make up almost one-third of
the U.S. Army troops now in Iraq. Their deployment puts a particularly
heavy burden on their home communities because many are "first responders,"
including police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. For
example, 44 percent of the country's police forces have lost officers to
Iraq. In some states, the absence of so many Guard troops has raised
concerns about the ability to handle natural disasters.

Use of Private Contractors: An estimated 20,000 private contractors are
carrying out work in Iraq traditionally done by the military, despite the
fact that they often lack sufficient training and are not accountable to
the same guidelines and reviews as military personnel.

ECONOMIC COSTS

The Bill So Far: Congress has approved of $151.1 billion for Iraq.
Congressional leaders anticipate an additional supplemental appropriation
of $60 billion after the election.

Long-term Impact on U.S. Economy: Economist Doug Henwood has estimated that
the war bill will add up to an average of at least $3,415 for every U.S.
household.

Oil Prices: U.S. crude oil prices spiked at $48 per barrel on August 19,
2004, the highest level since 1983, a development that most analysts
attribute at least in part to the deteriorating situation in Iraq.

Economic Impact on Military Families: Since the beginning of the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, 364,000 reserve troops and National Guard soldiers
have been called for military service, serving tours of duty that often
last 20 months. Studies show that between 30 and 40 percent of reservists
and National Guard members earn a lower salary when they leave civilian
employment for military deployment. Army Emergency Relief has reported that
requests from military families for food stamps and subsidized meals
increased "several hundred percent" between 2002 and 2003.

SOCIAL COSTS

U.S. Budget and Social Programs: The Bush administration's combination of
massive spending on the war and tax cuts for the wealthy means less money
for social spending. The $151.1 billion expenditure for the war through
this year could have paid for: close to 23 million housing vouchers; health
care for over 27 million uninsured Americans; salaries for nearly 3 million
elementary school teachers; 678,200 new fire engines; over 20 million Head
Start slots for children; or health care coverage for 82 million children.
A leaked memo from the White House to domestic agencies outlines major cuts
following the election, including funding for education, Head Start, home
ownership, job training, medical research and homeland security.

Social Costs to the Military: In order to meet troop requirements in Iraq,
the Army has extended the tours of duty for soldiers. These extensions have
been particularly difficult for reservists, many of whom never expected to
face such long separations from their jobs and families. According to
military policy, reservists are not supposed to be on assignment for more
than 12 months every 5-6 years. To date, the average tour of duty for all
soldiers in Iraq has been 320 days. A recent Army survey revealed that more
than half of soldiers said they would not re-enlist.

Costs to Veteran Health Care: About 64 percent of the more than 7,000 U.S.
soldiers injured in Iraq received wounds that prevented them from returning
to duty. One trend has been an increase in amputees, the result of improved
body armor that protects vital organs but not extremities. As in previous
wars, many soldiers are likely to have received ailments that will not be
detected for years to come. The Veterans Administration healthcare system
is not prepared for the swelling number of claims. In May, the House of
Representatives approved funding for FY 2005 that is $2.6 billion less than
needed, according to veterans' groups.

Mental Health Costs: The New England Journal of Medicine reported in July
2004 that 1 in 6 soldiers returning from war in Iraq showed signs of
post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, or severe anxiety. Only
23 to 40 percent of respondents in the study who showed signs of a mental
disorder had sought mental health care.

COSTS TO IRAQ

HUMAN COSTS

Iraqi Deaths and Injuries: As of September 22, 2004, between 12,800 and
14,843 Iraqi civilians have been killed as a result of the U.S. invasion
and ensuing occupation, while an estimated 40,000 Iraqis have been injured.
During "major combat" operations, between 4,895 and 6,370 Iraqi soldiers
and insurgents were killed.

Effects of Depleted Uranium: The health impacts of the use of depleted
uranium weaponry in Iraq are yet to be known. The Pentagon estimates that
U.S. and British forces used 1,100 to 2,200 tons of weaponry made from the
toxic and radioactive metal during the March 2003 bombing campaign. Many
scientists blame the far smaller amount of DU weapons used in the Persian
Gulf War for illnesses among U.S. soldiers, as well as a sevenfold increase
in child birth defects in Basra in southern Iraq.

Rise in Crime: Murder, rape, and kidnapping have skyrocketed since March
2003, forcing Iraqi children to stay home from school and women to stay off
the streets at night. Violent deaths rose from an average of 14 per month
in 2002 to 357 per month in 2003.

Psychological Impact: Living under occupation without the most basic
security has devastated the Iraqi population. A poll conducted by the Iraq
Center for Research and Strategic Studies in June 2004 found that 80
percent of Iraqis believe that coalition forces should leave either
immediately or directly after the election.

ECONOMIC COSTS

Unemployment: Iraqi joblessness doubled from 30 percent before the war to
60 percent in the summer of 2003. While the Bush administration now claims
that unemployment has dropped, the U.S. is only employing 120,000 Iraqis,
of a workforce of 7 million, in reconstruction projects.

Corporate War Profiteering: Most of Iraq's reconstruction has been
contracted out to U.S. companies, rather than experienced Iraqi firms. Top
contractor Halliburton is being investigated for charging $160 million for
meals that were never served to troops and $61 million in cost overruns on
fuel deliveries. Halliburton employees also took $6 million in kickbacks
from subcontractors, while other employees have reported extensive waste,
including the abandonment of $85,000 trucks because they had flat tires.
Iraq's Oil Economy: Anti-occupation violence has prevented Iraq from
capitalizing on its oil assets. There have been an estimated 118 attacks on
Iraq's oil infrastructure since June 2003. By September 2004, oil
production still had not reached pre-war levels and major attacks caused
oil exports to plummet to a ten- month low in August 2004.

SOCIAL COSTS

Health Infrastructure: After more than a decade of crippling sanctions,
Iraq's health facilities were further damaged during the war and
post-invasion looting. Iraq's hospitals continue to suffer from lack of
supplies and an overwhelming number of patients.

Education: UNICEF estimates that more than 200 schools were destroyed in
the conflict and thousands more were looted in the chaos following the fall
of Saddam Hussein.

Environment: The U.S-led attack damaged water and sewage systems and the
country's fragile desert ecosystem. It also resulted in oil well fires that
spewed smoke across the country and left unexploded ordnance that continues
to endanger the Iraqi people and environment. Mines and unexploded ordnance
cause an estimated 20 casualties per month.

HUMAN RIGHTS COSTS

Even with Saddam Hussein overthrown, Iraqis continue to face human rights
violations from occupying forces. In addition to the widely publicized
humiliation and torture of prisoners, abuse has been widespread throughout
the post-9-11 military operations, with over 300 allegations of abuse in
Afghanistan, Iraq and GuantÃ¡namo. As of mid-August 2004, only 155
investigations into the existing 300 allegations had been completed.

SOVEREIGNTY COSTS

Despite the proclaimed "transfer of sovereignty" to Iraq, the country
continues to be occupied by U.S. and coalition troops and has severely
limited political and economic independence. The interim government does
not have the authority to reverse the nearly 100 orders by former CPA head
Paul Bremer that, among other things, allow for the privatization of Iraq's
state-owned enterprises and prohibit preferences for domestic firms in
reconstruction.

COSTS TO THE WORLD

HUMAN COSTS

While Americans make up the vast majority of military and contractor
personnel in Iraq, other U.S.-allied "coalition" troops have suffered 135
war casualties in Iraq. In addition, the focus on Iraq has diverted
international resources and attention away from humanitarian crises such as
in Sudan.

DISABLING INTERNATIONAL LAW

The unilateral U.S. decision to go to war in Iraq violated the United
Nations Charter, setting a dangerous precedent for other countries to seize
any opportunity to respond militarily to claimed threats, whether real or
contrived, that must be "pre-empted." The U.S. military has also violated
the Geneva Convention, making it more likely that in the future, other
nations will ignore these protections in their treatment of civilian
populations and detainees.

UNDERMINING THE UNITED NATIONS

At every turn, the Bush Administration has attacked the legitimacy and
credibility of the UN, undermining the institution's capacity to act in the
future as the centerpiece of global disarmament and conflict resolution.
The efforts of the Bush administration to gain UN acceptance of an Iraqi
government that was not elected but rather installed by occupying forces
undermines the entire notion of national sovereignty as the basis for the
UN Charter. It was on this basis that Secretary General Annan referred
specifically to the vantage point of the UN Charter in his September 2004
finding that the war was illegal.

ENFORCING COALITIONS

Faced with opposition in the UN Security Council, the U.S. government
attempted to create the illusion of multilateral support for the war by
pressuring other governments to join a so-called "Coalition of the
Willing." This not only circumvented UN authority, but also undermined
democracy in many coalition countries, where public opposition to the war
was as high as 90 percent. As of the middle of September, only 29 members
of the "Coalition of the Willing" had forces in Iraq, in addition to the
United States. These countries, combined with United States, make up less
than 14 percent of the world's population.

COSTS TO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

The $151.1 billion spent by the U.S. government on the war could have cut
world hunger in half and covered HIV/AIDS medicine, childhood immunization
and clean water and sanitation needs of the developing world for more than
two years. As a factor in the oil price hike, the war has created concerns
of a return to the "stagflation" of the 1970s. Already, the world's major
airlines are expecting an increase in costs of $1 billion or more per
month.

UNDERMINING GLOBAL SECURITY AND DISARMAMENT

The U.S.-led war and occupation have galvanized international terrorist
organizations, placing people not only in Iraq but around the world at
greater risk of attack. The State Department's annual report on
international terrorism reported that in 2003 there was the highest level
of terror-related incidents deemed "significant" than at any time since the
U.S. began issuing these figures.

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS

U.S.-fired depleted uranium weapons have contributed to pollution of Iraq's
land and water, with inevitable spillover effects in other countries. The
heavily polluted Tigris River, for example, flows through Iraq, Iran and
Kuwait.

HUMAN RIGHTS

The Justice Department memo assuring the White House that torture was legal
stands in stark violation of the International Convention Against Torture
(of which the United States is a signatory). This, combined with the widely
publicized mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. military and
intelligence officials, gave new license for torture and mistreatment by
governments around the world.
=========================
=========================

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Sing this at the polls NOV 2     SING THE VOTE
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=this_land&preplay=1&ratingBar=off
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE in song is the first step to a fascism free planet
"THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND, THIS LAND IS MADE FOR YOU AND ME"

IMAGINE: WE are children of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; WE ALL have a right to be here

START SINGING THE PLANET'S ANTHEM AT ALL EVENTS TO SHOW HOW "WE" HAVE ALREADY VOTED.
This would get some air time if we did it at GOP campaign events even in congress this Summer and fall and beyond after all it is the anthem of the Age of Aquarius no. We suggested that "THIS LAND" be the Global Village Planetary anthem at Woodies celebration in San Francisco at the Geary Theater in 1967. It was seconded by three ambassadors and has become the second third fourth etc. anthems to many countries.

FOLKSAY(people say) ............ has become Our defacto Global Village Planetary anthem and in essence we voted for citizen empowerment as we sung it. Now let's get it officially on record by singing it everywhere as direct democracy.
        THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF AQUARIUS is the reality at hand! The children of the universe, the right to be here generation _ the meek taking their prophetic inheritance out of probate is not a conspiracy.

Ra Energy Fdn.
Raleigh Myers
http://raenergy.igc.org/raenergy.html

Worksheet bio
http://www.igc.apc.org/raenergy/bio.html

Newsgroups beginning in the eighties click on date and web
http://groups.google.com/groups?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Ra+Energy+Fdn%2E%22

Call to Action blog
http://www.google.com/search?q=Global+Vote+raenergy&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=02Eigc%2Eorg%2Faction%2Ehtml

raenergy

Thursday, November 04, 2004

"Sour Grapes" or Voter Fraud Exit poles don't match tallies

We are not finished yet, Fascism is still here

Re: vote fraud. --all exit polls were wrong?

Twelve Ways Bush Is Now Stealing the Ohio Vote

[globalnetnews-summary] << GLOBAL NETNEWS >> Tuesday Nov 2 2004

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