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Politics : Why is Gore Trying to Steal the Presidency? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Carolyn who wrote (861)	11/17/2000 5:23:47 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3887

AWOL Military Ballots Cause Controversy In Florida, the Democrats are bewailing spoiled ballots and demanding that such votes should count. But in far-flung regions of the world, as well as on the high seas, the lament of military personnel is about missing ballots — ballots completed and others that were never received although they were requested. After at first pooh-poohing a WorldNetDaily report that hundreds of overseas military ballots hadn’t been delivered, the U.S. Navy did an about-face on Nov. 14 and confirmed that bundles of completed ballots had been left behind to languish on three ships in the Persian Gulf. According to naval spokesman Cmdr. Greg Smith, the ballots of about 3,000 sailors and Marines on the USS Tarawa, USS Duluth and USS Anchorage hadn’t been delivered. He said that the ballots — many of which would be counted in Florida — were going to be flown back to the United States “expeditiously,” although it wasn’t clear if all would make it back in time to meet a Nov. 17 deadline for absentee votes in the Sunshine State. Smith conceded that time could be a problem. “All we’re trying to do is see if there’s a way to get the mail there,” he said. He added that the mail was forgotten because the ships were tasked with assisting the bomb-stricken USS Cole. However, sailors on the ship think the whole approach to the ballots was far more blasé and note the ballots were not kept separate from ordinary mail. Federal lawmakers are planning to take the matter up in Congress. Rep. Joe Scarborough , R-Fla., has asked the House GOP leadership to make time for a congressional probe into the handling of naval ballots. But the problem of missing military ballots may be more widespread if anecdotal evidence is anything to go by. There have been reports that military personnel never received absentee ballots. Some have complained of ballots being sent as fourth-class bulk mail rather than as first-class items. Some old hands have argued that the Pentagon did nothing this election to aid U.S. servicemen to vote — with no special programs or facilities being provided at many military locations. Defense spokesman Ken Bacon has reacted angrily at suggestions that the Clinton administration was attempting to suppress the military vote, which tends to be very Republican. At a press briefing he snapped that such arguments were “ludicrous.” The U.S. Postal Service said it would rush delayed military ballots to Florida.

To: Carolyn who wrote (861)	11/17/2000 5:23:58 PM
From: MasonS	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3887

What a way to start the weekend...I'm not surprised...figured Dems would fight to the bitter end...but I am bitterly disappointed and disgusted with what is happening and the fact that there are so many of us who are helpless to do anything about it. Talk about the disenfranchised... Guess we all need to just stop working, go on welfare...and have everything handed to us like Uncle Al promised!

To: Carolyn who wrote (861)	11/18/2000 8:30:15 AM
From: lml	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3887

The only way for the matter before the Florida Supreme Court to make its way up to the US Supreme Court is if a federal question is presented in the case. In other words, there would have to be some challenge that Florida law, as interpreted and ruled upon by the Florida Supreme Court somehow violates some Federal law or the US Constitution as it applies to the State via the 14th Amendment such as an interpretation by the State Court that violates due process or equal protection. Bear in mind here that the presidential election is not AN election, but really 50 separate state elections with each state have exclusive jurisdiction over how its election is run. The federal government has no business coming into the State of Florida and telling it how to run its elections, how to determine the results thereof UNLESS there is some constitution violation that may be applied through the 14th Amendment. The foregoing is why I got initially concerned with Gore's campaign coming into Florida like a bunch of paratroopers and taking over the entire recount process. IMHO, this is certainly a consideration that the Secretary of State should way in the exercise of her discretion in accepting or rejecting the manual count results. One can argue that these results were not in-fact the result of Florida procedures, but rather Democratic campaign procedures imposed at the local level and a challenge to State sovereignty in these matters.