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| WARNING: THIS SITE FEATURES ORIGINAL THINKING...Jim Croce once sang Don't tug on Superman's cape..., which seems like reasonable advice should we not wish to anger the supreme powers. We do have this duality in our culture: the Superman that is the state collective, the leftist call to a politics of meaning managed by the state, the deification of "we're from the government and we'll take care of you" - versus the Superman that celebrates individual freedom, private property, freedom of conscience, free enterprise, and limited government. We humbly take on the latter's mantle and, eschewing the feeble tug, we dare to PULL, in hope of seeing freedom's rescue from the encroaching nanny state. We invite you, dear reader, to come and pull as well... Additionally, if you assume that means that we are unflinching, unquestioning GOP zombies, that would be incorrect. We reject statism in any form and call on individuals in our country to return to the original, classical liberalism of our founders. (We're also passionate about art, photography, cooking, technology, Judeo/Christian values, and satire as unique, individual pursuits of happiness to celebrate.) |
Superman's product of the century (so far):
I asserted on November 29th:
...if they have been deceitful about that [Kojo's participation in Cotecna], can we trust their assertions about Kojo's participation at Air Harbour Technologies (AHT)? And isn't the question - not did Kojo influence Kofi in his role as an AHT director - but was it really Kofi and Sheikh Yamani (former Saudi Oil Minister) in an influence peddling scheme with Saddam?
The London Sunday Times reports that Kojo admits to oil dealing efforts in his Air Harbour role after all. This ostensibly links the Annan and Yamani families in the UN Oil For Fraud kleptocracy. If the LSM were interested in news, this would be a headline.
How long will the world suffer these fools?
The people of Iraq proved during the weekend that the call of liberty is greater than the fear of death - for a significnat majority of their electorate at least.
Along with millions, I watched the inspiring Iraqi voters and revelled in their unmitigated joy.
The blogging left eventually came out with their screed - some of which can be followed in the links and comments on this post at Protein Wisdom.
It is true that every Iraqi that contemplated voting had to confront this thought: "If I go to vote, I might be killed." It is true that some were killed - just for the crime of participating in the election. But rather than serving as some end story in itself, the violence and the threat of violence only serves to magnify the courage of millions of Iraqi patriots.
It also gives lie to the theories of voter suppression that the left regularly trots out: Long lines, registration requirements, signs outside of polling places, and vacuous stories about intimidation carry no weight in the face of the threat of death.
The people of Iraq have proven that nothing will subvert the desire to be free.
Soon our looney left will argue that there is a difference between the internal constitution of the Iraqis and the American voter. Would they be right?
The Building Industry Association of Washington announced earlier in the week it had identified eight likely illegal felon voters by comparing a list of voters from the Secretary of State's Office to the Washington State Patrol's criminal database.
By Friday afternoon, the association had identified 36 likely illegal felon voters.
So reports The Olympian this morning. This will add something between 28 and 36 to the total of 737 illegal votes reported by Chris Vance earlier in the week.
It is beyond any doubt that illegal voters elected Gregoire.
It is beyond any reasonable patience that the farce continues. If the courts do not act quickly, it will be time for the citizens of Washington to take this into our own hands. This will not stand!
In 1958 Lee Hays and Pete Seeger penned these words:
If I had a hammer
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger
I'd hammer out a warning
I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land
If I had a bell
I'd ring it in the morning
I'd ring it in the evening
All over this land
I'd ring out danger
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land
If I had a song
I'd sing it in the morning
I'd sing it in the evening
All over this land
I'd sing out danger
I'd sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land
Well I've got a hammer
And I've got a bell
And I've got a song to sing
All over this land
It's the hammer of justice
It's the bell of freedom
It's the song about love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land
This song has been sung and re-sung over the years. It has meant many different things to many people. And it is almost invisible in this current time.
But it rings clearly for me as I think about what is about to transpire in Iraq this weekend. The world has the opportunity to attend to the labor and the birth of liberty.
It has been long coming, the struggle marked by the ultimate sacrifice on the part of many in the coalition forces and among the people of Iraq. The birth of freedom is like that. It always has been. The price is very high. It is what makes it so very, very precious.
We have brought the hammer of justice to Iraq. Saddam is no more - no more with a strangle hold on the lifeblood of all the millions of souls there. The hammer of justice also continues on the keyboards of Omar and Mohammed at Iraq the Model, who proclaimed "Go Iraq...go!" today. It continues through the keyboards of those on Iraq the Model's blog roll. It continues, especially this weekend all around Iraq on the new site: Friends of Democracy, that has bloggers on the ground all over the country that are risking their lives to 'live blog' the events as they unfold.
Those of you that participated in the Spirit of America blogger challenge are now seeing some of that work come to fruition.
Friends of America will also webcast a special Iraq election event in Washington DC on Sunday - and I have just been informed that this will be picked up by C-SPAN - 2PM to 4PM Eastern time. The journalist Christopher Hitchens is scheduled to participate along with Cliff May from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. There will be live call ins from correspondents and bloggers - and photos, videos, and stories will be posted and broadcast. No sugar coating here - they will hammer out this work as it happens in Iraq.
The bells toll and the bells ring for Iraq as well. They toll for those that have been lost in preparation for this birth. They toll for those lost in military service in the coalition and they toll for those Iraqi's who have perished thus far in this great struggle. We grieve for them. They have not died in vain. Each soul adds infinite value to the new altar of freedom in Iraq. The bells ring out for freedom. They ring out in Iraq and they ring throughout the world from all freedom loving people.
We hear the freedom song from the Iraqi people. You need only visit some of the sites mentioned above to hear it loud and strong. As they hammer, they hammer out a song for all the world to hear. What an incredibe time in history - when we have the technology available that we can hear the song of the people - unfiltered and immediate. It is a contagious song - freedom's song. Freedom loving people all over the world join in with the people of Iraq as we witness this birth.
Many of us live in places in our country or in our neighborhood where liberty is taken for granted. The very high price has been forgotten. It is up to freedom loving people who know that value to hammer out, ring out, and sing out what is happening this weekend. Proclaim it wherever you are - there is liberty, born anew this day!
To my brothers and sisters in Iraq - to those that love freedom - I bid you Godspeed - our thoughts and prayers are with you as you create history and bequeath that most precious of gifts to your people and your descendents. There is danger, there is warning - but there will be peace brother and sisters. There will be peace.
H/T Jim Hake, Spirit of America. Please stop by and give them a donation.
UPDATE: Iraqis from Washington state drive 1200 miles to vote - they think that is little sacrifice compared to those who vote in Iraq.
Many thanks to friend Jeff Goldstein for the link.
UPDATE: On Ron's post about the Wisconsin vote fraud story, reader Bob sends us a link and excerpt:
This is what the site says:
HOW DOES IT WORK?
All Iraqis over 18 years old on Jan. 1 can vote -- perhaps some 15 million of a population of about 27 million. The election register is based on the ration list, a relic of U.N. sanctions.
On Jan. 30, voters must bring two forms of photo identification to their local polling station. After voting, their name is crossed off the register and their thumb marked with indelible ink to prevent them voting again.
There is one national ballot, without constituencies. Voters cast one vote for a list of candidates put forward by a party or coalition.
Sounds like the perfect strategy for implementation in US elections.
Democrat resistance to investigating Vote Fraud in Milwaukee has backed off (Journal Sentinel Article). Notice I didn’t say succumbed. They are buying time to come up with a new tactic. The governor, and mayors of Milwaukee and Racine are trying to create a new reason for objecting to Voter ID.
Well, just heard Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee come up with the most incomprehensible, unbelievable, reasoning on this topic I have ever heard. Sit down folks you are not going to believe this.
This is his reasoning. He happened to be at an inner city high school in Milwaukee giving a presentation for some reason. Afterwards, a teacher approached him and said, “Mayor can you see to it that we have driver’s education classes here?” Instantly, he was able to relate this horrible problem with Voter ID’s.
His logic. Students at North Division can’t get their drivers licenses from a driver’s education program therefore, when they turn 18 they won’t be able to vote. Fact - You can go to any Wisconsin Motor Vehicle Center and get an official Wisconsin ID (regardless of age) for $4 and about a ½ hour wait. In all the proposed Voter ID legislation, of course, they will be issued free. The rich, white Republican kids can do this, but it is so hard for the inner city kids (we know what that means). If I said what he really meant I’d be called a racist.
What makes this even more amusing is this little known fact. Barrett’s Milwaukee Library requires photo ID’s to check out a book. Now let’s try and figure out why it is ok for the City of Milwaukee to ask for a photo ID at the Public Library, but not for voting. Using the same logic of the mayor, I guess Mayor Barrett and the Dems don’t care if inner city students can’t read, but they need to vote. How can they vote if they can’t read?
Well, on Election Day I saw a Move-on butt head handing out small copies of the top three lines of the ballot. It showed Democrat, Republican, and Independent vote for party categories. The black line was connected to the Democrat option. Creative little (naughty bit eliminated by author)!
Oh gosh, I forgot to mention this little tidbit. All city of Milwaukee middle and high schools already issue student photo ID’s. Not to mention the metal detectors they must traverse daily. That’s assuming they actually show up for school more than on opening day.
Mayor Barrett it is time to grab your ears, give a yank and pull your head out of an orifice I won’t mention here.
Ron
This is an excerpt from an email update from WA state GOP chair Chairman Vance today:
We will continue to update you on any new information relating to the election contest.
Republicans file new arguments in court case
737 illegal votes confirmed so far
Seattle, WA – Today, our attorneys filed briefs responding to the Democratic motions to dismiss the case before the Chelan County Superior Court. Attached is a summary of those briefs.
Also attached is a summary of the confirmed illegal votes we have discovered thus far. As of this morning, the WSRP has identified 737 confirmed illegal votes cast in the 2004 election and we expect this number to grow in the days ahead.
###
Confirmed Illegal Votes Discovered
| Felons – King County | 186 |
| Felons – Other Counties | 54 |
| Deceased | 44 |
| Duplicates In-State | 10 |
| Duplicates Out-of-State | 6 |
| Illegal Provisional Ballots | 437 |
| Total | 737 |
Summary of Rossi/ Republican briefs filed Jan. 26, 2005
1. The court has jurisdiction to hear this case
Article III, § 4 of the Washington State Constitution says that “Contested elections for [statewide executive officers] shall be decided by the legislature in such manner as shall be determined by law.” The Legislature adopted a law, RCW 29A.68, which establishes how election contests are handled. That law says election contests may be heard by the courts of the state.
The Democratic Party and Christine Gregoire interpret this part of the constitution to mean that the only place for an election contest is in the state Legislature. But the constitution clearly allows the Legislature to decide the “manner” of contesting elections, and that can include having courts consider them. The Democrats are ignoring the phrase “in such manner as shall be determined by law.” The fact that the Legislature passed a law allowing election contests to be heard in court refutes the Democrats’ and Christine Gregoire’s argument.
Even Democratic legislators agree that courts are appropriate places for this election contest. Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and many other state senators and representatives have said that the Legislature intended for election contests such as this to be heard in court, not in the Legislature.
Additionally, the Legislature has the authority to delegate non-legislative functions, such as presiding over an election contest. This authority is reinforced by the use of the phrase “in such manner as shall be determined by law” in the constitution. The out-of-state cases cited by the Democrats involve challenges to legislative elections, not executive ones.
The 1940 election for governor did not involve an assertion of jurisdiction by the legislature. A contest petition was filed, and at the joint session to certify the election results a legislator made a motion to refer the petition to a committee for investigation. The Legislature did not pass the motion. Declining to investigate a contest petition does not constitute an assertion of exclusive jurisdiction over such actions.
The state Supreme Court has accepted jurisdiction over contests of state executive offices in the past, including a contest of the 1992 auditor’s race and the case in this election filed under the contest statute by the Democrats (where they said the Supreme Court had the authority and the duty to act to provide a remedy).
The argument advanced by the Democrats would require the court to find beyond a reasonable doubt that the election contest statute is unconstitutional.
2. The case should not be moved to another court
Chelan County and its officials are among the respondents named in this action. The Chelan County Superior Court is a proper place to hear a case involving Chelan County. Under Washington law, in a case with multiple defendants, if venue is proper over one defendant it is proper over all.
The election contest statute allows cases to be brought in superior court, a court of appeals, or the Supreme Court. In a prior contest of an election for statewide executive officer (the 1992 auditor election), the case was initially heard in superior court.
The contest statute specifically contemplates factfinding (“discovery”). If this case were moved to the Supreme Court, that court would then have to appoint a superior court judge to conduct the factfinding (“discovery”), essentially re-starting the process. This type of delay is exactly what the Democrats want.
3. The contest petition makes a valid claim to void the election
An illegal vote is a vote cast in violation of the election laws. The election contest statute states that illegal votes include, but are not limited to, multiple votes cast by a single voter and votes cast by ineligible felons.
The exception to the definition of illegal votes (for registrations required to be challenged prior to the election) does not affect any of the votes at issue in this case:
- Provisional ballots that were counted without being verified are illegal because they were counted contrary to law, not because of an improper registration, and moreover those voters were in fact challenged on election day, which is why they were given provisional ballots in the first place;
- Ballots counted without being attributed to a voter’s registration record could not have been challenged in advance;
- Votes cast in the name of dead persons are illegal not only because a person remained registered even thought the law required them to be removed from the rolls, but because a person cast a ballot illegally in the name of someone else; and
- Votes cast by ineligible felons are specifically declared to be illegal votes under the statute, and the statute could not render them legal votes without violating the specific statement in the constitution that disenfranchises felons.
County officials are obligated by law to remove felons and dead persons from voter registration records. The contest statute should not be read to transform illegal votes into legal ones because private citizens did not do what county officials were required to do by checking for invalid voter registrations.
Contrary to what the Democratic Party and Christine Gregoire are arguing, the election contest statute does not require that each illegal vote be identified to a candidate and subtracted from that candidate’s vote totals. Courts in Washington and elsewhere have ordered new elections where the number of invalid votes exceeded the margin between the candidates.
The one Washington case cited by the Democrats to support their position was in 1912. It has been superseded on this point by Washington’s 1975 Foulkes v. Hays case. Also, in the 1912 case there was evidence of only three illegal votes being counted, while the margin was five votes.
4. A Revote is the appropriate remedy in this case
The election contest statute specifically provides for elections to be annulled and set aside, and for election certificates to be declared void. This is what we are seeking.
Once the election is nullified, holding a revote – as the Washington Supreme Court approved in Foulkes v. Hays – is simply a continuation of the 2004 election for governor to achieve a final result. The courts have the authority to order a revote under the contest statute and their equitable power.
Even if the court were to find that it cannot order a revote, the vacancy in the office of governor brought about by the nullified election would be filled under the provisions of Article III § 10 of the state constitution. That section calls for a governor to be elected at “the next general election,” which would be in November 2005 (not 2006 or even 2008 as the Democrats claim). The statute the Democrats say prohibits elections for governor in odd-numbered years does nothing of the kind. It merely fills in a gap in the constitution regarding vacancies in other offices, whereas vacancies in the office of governor are filled at the next general election under the terms of Article III § 10.
The Legislature also could determine that it would be in the best interests of the state to resolve this matter, and pass legislation calling for an earlier election.
Help fund the election challenge!
Please donate to the WSRP to help us continue the fight! This process is expensive but very necessary for the future of Washington state! Your contribution will help Dino Rossi to continue on! To donate on-line, visit https://secure.xo.com/wsrp.org/credit_card.htm
UPDATE: Friend Jeff notes at Digital Brown PJs that a new movie is likely forthcoming: Attack of the DEMO DROIDS!
Ann Coulter in her January 6th column makes a good suggestion:
And has some enterprising reporter asked Sen. Patty Murray what she thinks about the U.S.'s efforts on the tsunami? How about compared to famed philanthropist Osama bin Laden?
In December 2002, Murray was extolling Osama bin Laden's good works in the Middle East, informing a classroom of students: "He's been out in these countries for decades building roads, building schools, building infrastructure, building day-care facilities, building health-care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. It made their lives better." What does Murray say about bin Laden's charity toward the (mostly Muslim) tsunami victims?
Please make a note to ask Patty when she's back in town. I'm sure you will. We'd like to know what she thinks.
The byline says Gov. Bush Loses Appeal in Fla. Right-To-Die Case. The story is about the Florida Supreme Court refusing to hear an appeal from Jeb Bush and Terri Schiavo's family against those who want to kill Terri.
Hey Reuters, isn't this a Right-To-Live case? Take a look at this video (requires Real Media player). Does this look like someone who wants to die?
A very small, well-hidden article in the Racine Journal Times that popped this morning is a much bigger story than it appears. The gist of the story is to announce the trial dates for two individuals from Milwaukee who were charged with Fraud. Just what type of Fraud you ask? VOTE FRAUD, I answer.
One of the accused, Jones, was a Democrat candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly. He lost! I guess he should have spent a little more time back in Milwaukee paying off students and registering vagrants. A Democrat losing in Milwaukee is unbelievable. Well, actually he lost to a goofier far left loony.
Mr. Blakely is charged not only with Vote Fraud but, with Forgery. He was applying his creative spirit and making names up on his voter registration lists. It seems “The New Voter Project” (the RJT can’t even get the title of the organization they worked for correct – what a rag) was paying by the head for registration. It’s no wonder Wisconsin’s unemployment number fell precipitously in October of 04.
How can this happen? Our City Clerk saw fit to swear these gentlemen in as "Authorized" Registrars. The registrars are responsible for verifying the ID of each individual. After that, the voter names they collect and submit are automatically added to the registered voter roles without further review. This is the only time according to Wisconsin law that an ID is required. The names are on the voter list and can no longer be challenged.
Most of the talk from Wisconsin, so far, has been about "Same Day" voters. I submit that an equal amount of illegitimacy is present in the current voter roles.
The truth of what is going on here is yet to be brought to the surface. Needless to say, what Capt’n Ed says at Captain’s Quarters is right on target. “There is more than cheese smelling up Wisconsin.”
Working on a complicated issue and I hope to be back with it soon. Got to protect the names of the innocent and all that stuff.
Ron
After that above the fold headline about felonious voters, today the Seattle Times rolls out a crenelated moonbat on the opinion page. Paul Loeb contends that a recount in Washington is acceptable only if we have a recount in Ohio and Florida. Of course, there's no mention of the emerging Wisconsin vote fraud story where events could actually change the outcome in that state.
Don't you just love a blowhard that can't do basic addition and subtraction? I know I do.
UPDATE: My favorite Dinocrat Josef sent a link to another opinion piece from today's Times as well. I guess the editorial board is having to make up for Sunday's story. Warning: Increased vomitus factor.
