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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MKTBUZZ who wrote (19308)	8/18/2004 1:00:32 AM
From: Skywatcher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

Published on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Whiff of Voter Suppression Fouls the Air by Bob Herbert The big story out of Florida over the weekend was the tragic devastation caused by Hurricane Charley. But there's another story from Florida that deserves our attention. State police officers have been going into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogating them as part of an odd "investigation" that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November. The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March. Officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say that absentee ballots are involved. They said they had no idea when the investigation might end, and acknowledged that it might continue right through the presidential election. "We did a preliminary inquiry into those allegations and then we concluded that there was enough evidence to follow through with a full criminal investigation," said Geo Morales, a spokesman for the Department of Law Enforcement. The state police officers, armed and in plain clothes, have questioned dozens of voters in their homes. Some of those questioned have been volunteers in get-out-the-vote campaigns. I asked Morales in a telephone conversation to tell me what criminal activity had taken place. "I can't talk about that," he said. I asked if all the people interrogated were black. "Well, mainly it was a black neighborhood we were looking at -- yes," he said. He also said, "Most of them were elderly." When I asked why, he said, "That's just the people we selected out of a random sample to interview." Back in the bad old days, some decades ago, when Southern whites used every imaginable form of chicanery to prevent blacks from voting, blacks often fought back by creating voter leagues, which were organizations that helped to register, educate and encourage black voters. It became a tradition that continues in many places, including Florida, today. Not surprising, many of the elderly black voters who found themselves face to face with state police officers in Orlando are members of the Orlando League of Voters, which has been very successful in mobilizing the city's black vote. The president of the Orlando League of Voters is Ezzie Thomas, who is 73 years old. With his demonstrated ability to deliver the black vote in Orlando, Thomas is a tempting target for supporters of George W. Bush in a state in which the black vote may well spell the difference between victory and defeat. The vile smell of voter suppression is all over this so-called investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Joseph Egan, an Orlando lawyer who represents Thomas, said: "The Voters League has workers who go into the community to do voter registration, drive people to the polls, and help with absentee ballots. They are elderly women mostly. They get paid like $100 for four or five months work, just to offset things like the cost of their gas. They see this political activity as an important contribution to their community. Some of the people in the community had never cast a ballot until the league came to their door and encouraged them to vote." Now, said Egan, the fear generated by state police officers going into people's homes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to voting is threatening to undo much of the good work of the league. He said, "One woman asked me, 'Am I going to go to jail now because I voted by absentee ballot?'" According to Egan, "People who have voted by absentee ballot for years are refusing to allow campaign workers to come to their homes. And volunteers who have participated for years in assisting people, particularly the elderly or handicapped, are scared and don't want to risk a criminal investigation." Florida is a state that's very much in play in the presidential election, with some polls showing John Kerry in the lead. A heavy-handed state police investigation that throws a blanket of fear over thousands of black voters can only help President Bush. The long and ugly tradition of suppressing the black vote is alive and thriving in the Sunshine State. ©1996-2004 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

To: MKTBUZZ who wrote (19308)	8/18/2004 1:17:58 AM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

Kerry denounced the MoveOn ads today but Bush refuses to denounce the obviously much more dishonest, malicious and libelous SmearVets ads. Those ads also started this brouhaha. Why has the righwing given up the high ground of morality and ethics in this election season? Have they falsely learned from 2000 and 2002 that cheating and lying wins? Why do they condone the slandering of war heros, including McCain, Cleland and Kerry? And you know if Wes clark were the nominee they'd be falsely smearing his military record too. This isn't just politics as usual it's political porno and sewage. The Bushies have strained to reach a new low. Why? I see the creepy Corrigan boasting that the smear campaign will allow Bush to catch up in battleground states. Even as a Republican Ohio vet surfaces who fought with Kerry and remembers his wounds were true. Obviously the SmearVest and corrigan types have lied but what is the point here? dragging us all down into the immoral mud? I will say this. We on the Kerry side will fight back against anything the rightwing fabricates. But we think it stinks and is anti-American. What is this campaign about for Bushies, saying anything no matter how obscenely dishonest to fool a few voters? Why can't Bush just run on his record? We can forgive him for going AWOL 33 years ago, but what kind of campaign is he trying to run? The dirtier he gets the dirtier he looks. Filthy lying campaigns will not win this year. So I guess, go ahead and stay dishonest. it will only help Kerry. American swing-voters are not stupid this year. They see through BS.