10/29/2004

Thanks, Mom! (Volunteering for Kerry)

Well, I went to Kerry/Edwards national headquarters last night after work and volunteered for a couple hours. I was inspired by my Mom, who has been doing the same thing in West Virginia for a few weeks now. You're the best, Mom!!!!

I manned the phones, calling non-senior voters in Jacksonville Florida to get them to early vote (if, they were for Kerry, that is). I didn't get ahold of too many people, and most of the ones I did were voting for Bush. :-|

Still, it felt good to volunteer for the cause. God I hope Kerry wins so I can go up to every smug ass Republican I see and go, "FACE!"

10/28/2004

"Caging Lists" are unAmerican, Mr. Bush

A damning investigative report from the BBC's Greg Palast provides even more evidence that if the Republicans can't win an election, they'll just steal it. According to Palast's report, the Republican party in Florida is developing what's called a "caging list" that will be used to disenfranchise thousands of black, Democrat voters...again.

The deal is this: In Florida, among other states, it is perfectly legal to challenge a voter's eligibility right there at the polls, preventing him or her from voting. The challenged voter then receives a "provisional" ballot to take home and fill out; a ballot that usually ends up in the trash can right outside the voting booth. The real problem though, Palast says, is that the goal of the Republicans is not to directly disenfranchise these voters (although that's a convenient benefit for them), but rather to gum up the works, so to speak.

In places like Jacksonville, the Republican-controlled state government has ensured that thousands of minority neighborhoods have insufficient voting areas, causing long lines and substantial waits to vote. Challenging voters at the ballot box will cause massive delays that the Republicans hope will grind the system to a halt and yet again, lose thousands of votes for the Democratic candidate.

Palast's report goes on to bring to light the voter intimidation and outright fraud currently occuring in Florida. For example, Palast confronts a mysterious man caught outside an early voting area videotaping every voter who enters and exits the polling place. He is driving an unmarked, black SUV with blacked-out windows, and he admits to Palast that he is a professional privite investigator. He somehow forgets the name of his employer, though. I have a feeling that he wasn't hired by the Rainbow Coalition.

Additionally, a county election chief's daughter was the victim of a scam wherein she was tricked into signing what she thought was a petition to legalize medical marijuana. Instead the document was a voter registration for Tampa, hundreds of miles from where she lived. This would invalidate her vote in both places. Jeb Bush's government says that they don't have time to track down the con artists right now. Hmmm... Luckily, her father caught the scam in time, but how many other young, left-leaning students have a nasty surprise awaiting them at the polls on Tuesday?

You can, and should, view the video report here. It will be the lead on BBC News tonight, but don't look for it on your local ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, or god forbid, FOX affiliate: The Republican National Committee has threatened to block access to sources and candidates to the BBC if they air it, so you can imagine that the same goes for our "news" outlets.

[Breaking news] Jeb Bush supports challenging voters at the polls...what a surprise!

10/24/2004

Joe gone. Jenny sad.

Joe's in NYC and I am left to my own devices here in DC. Went to Target (tar-JHA). Then went out to dinner with the ladies...had a good dinner at Sorriso, an Italian restaurant in Cleveland Park. Met a great woman who personally knows the person at the IRS who would need to file the papers for my not-for-profit to become "official." Then I went to this fellow David's house and he is in a band, owns his own recording studio and makes bass guitars. I am trying to hook him and Joe up...he even has industial space that he rents out and one of his renters makes acoustic guitars. I see some cool connections beginning to start. See Joe, I am your own personal marketing team! This other band, BluFunk also played at this house party tonight and they were really good....Who knew.