Morphing Meetups

resolute, i have about 20-30 of our old kerryblog bloggers that set on my irc channel #kerry-edwards on irc.winbeta.org. We have been anxiously awaiting this new blog, but have not been idle in its absence...

We have been following the voting fraud story, as well as discussing how we can be most effective in our organization in the future.

If anyone is interested in joining our chat, you can go to this link : http://www.winbeta.org/irc/kerry.html
(you will need java installed for this to work)

I have also started a webpage to help our irc channel, you can check it out here:
http://members.cox.net/movingforwardtogether

there is a handy links section (this blog will be added when its fully operational) that has links to other good sources of information i have found on the net:)

This info thanks to some hard working person at DU

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1380365

These are the Democrats sadly including Hillary Clinton that we have to watch for the next few years if they continue to kiss Bushes Feet even when other Republicans dont they need to be gone when they are up for re-election.

PC, some of us are having problem entering the IRC channel :( Indy emailed me asking if it was still up cause he can not get in either, I can not I thought it was my puter acting up again.

Ditto April...

Sorry folks....the webpage is currently down....but should be back up momentarily.

Really odd, this never happens :/

again, sry...it should be fixed pretty quick...

Posted by: pcdoc | November 21, 2004 09:31 PM

Is no Problem hun, I just figured it was my puter going round the bend again. :)

Ahhh. The ocean of ideas has been reconsitituted.

Thank you Dick, pcdoc, otter, and all others for getting this community in gear and for keeping it ongoing.

Special thank you - INDY. You have a great big heart and it shows.

LET'S ROLL

One of the Biggest problems for those of us in the red states is going to be getting Dems to untuck their tails from between their legs and come back out fighting. Any Suggestions??

My 10 year olds daughters solution, Keeping our Kerry sign up till Bush is out of office and making sure people know Democrats are good people.

It's great that some of these groups are staying together, fighting for our country's system.

Sadly, I think many of the disillusioned are still in a form of idle shock and don't know where to take their energy.

Again from DU Kind of long but since we are new I figure just this once I might could get away with it :)

The 14 Defining Characteristics Of Fascism by Dr. Lawrence Britt

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes.

Britt found 14-defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays. TOP

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc. TOP

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc. TOP

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized. TOP

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution. TOP

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common. TOP

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions. TOP

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite. TOP

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed. TOP

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked. TOP

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders. TOP

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

http://www.couplescompany.com/Features/Politics/Structu...

An interesting article about Michael Powell... Wish he would resign...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62718-2004Nov19.html?nav=hcmodule

Is History Repeating Itself?

To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refuted his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our Nation an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Where is this list from that contains many of the crimes against our principles and laws?

The full text of the Declaration of Independence drafted over 200 years ago and WE the PEOPLE SHALL NOT LET THIS CONTINUE!!!

I haven't been to a MeetUp but have kept in touch with local activists & fanatics via email, phone & food - not to mention a motley crue of insurgents in other blue cities, blue parts of red states or just little blue people sitting in little red neighborhoods. Then there are the Europeans - yike Republicans, watch out! We are down but not out. You are out but not down.

Here is a alternative link to get to the irc...you wont be able to choice your nickname before you enter the channel, so you will be Guest######.

http://members.cox.net/movingforwardtogether/pjirc/NormalApplet.html

when you get in the kerry-edwards channel...you can change your nick in the bottom right corner of the window.

Again, sorry for the inconvenience :)

doc

Posted by: Indy | November 21, 2004 10:09 PM

Here Indy :)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1380547

Cool thanks Ma! =]

Posted by: Indy | November 21, 2004 10:22 PM

Anytime :)

Right now, it's important to talk to people about the election--to make sure people are aware that we can not trust corporations and partisons to run fair elections. We need to go to our local groups--our meetups and our neighbors--and begin the task of getting the petition drives going.

My fist step will be to canvass our local congressional district and senate district--and get this petition signed by as many residents as possible.

Then, I will take it directly to their office.

So If you live in Ann Arbor, Michigan or Toledo, Ohio, let's get the ball rolling!

April...someone on DU needs a spanking and explanation of who "he" is in the post...

Posted by: Sparrow | November 21, 2004 10:23 PM

To which petition are you referring? Do you have a link?

Anybody planning a rally in Ohio when they prepare to "certify" the fake election results? I think we should all plan a protest in our individual capitals on that day.

To do this, we need to find out about getting the local permits first

Then, we can get our local groups organized for a National Election Fraud in Ohio day.

Perhaps, we can do the same thing for Florida's phoney results.

If you're going to do this, then let's try to list your state, time, and place on here, so we don't duplicate efforts.

We should all place a copy of the Declaration of Independence on a public bulletin board (at our places of work, local supermarkets, etc). This single document is the soul of our cause.

Posted by: dwahzon | November 21, 2004 10:34 PM

I will make sure there is a link by tomorrow.

My 10 year olds daughters solution, Keeping our Kerry sign up till Bush is out of office and making sure people know Democrats are good people.

Posted by: April | November 21, 2004 09:53 PM

April - that's exactly what I've done - though I'm in CT - not a Red State. I have my Kerry/Edwards sign up in my window and I still have two stickers on my car.

I'm proud I voted for Kerry and not Bush - I'm an upstanding citizen and mother of two - have served as a lay minister and pastoral counselor. Personally, I think our message will resonate as those who voted for Bush realize what a horrible mistake they've made(yet again).

In the meantime - we will have taken action and will be fighting for the America that our founding fathers envisioned - not Bush's version of "democracy."

My Kerry/Edwards poster is still up in the window and I have no plans to take it down.

I'm reading "The Battle for God" by Karen Armstrong in an attempt to learn historical lessons about the rise of fundamentalism in religions... because for me, where I live, understanding the fundamentalists is vital if I'm going to be able to sway, tap or even gently nudge their thinking along broader lines. Also, with more time, I'll be able to reconnect with writers and artists around the country that I know and see what kind of democracy cell work we can do in our areas.

All I know is this work is right in front of me to do... and it will be the work of my life. I so look forward to learning from everyone here. Very happy day. Thanks Dick and Karen. Roses to you.

I still see cars with K/E as well as the other side's stickers on the road. If they need 40,000 more troops to send to Iraq they need to start with the owners of autos (grandmas and all) with the following stickers on them:
-B/C
-W 04
-BushWoman
-The fake permits that read: Terrorist Hunting License Issured 9/11.

* Those Bush supporters who voted absentee are trackable and should be carted up and shipped off to Fallujah as well.

There's your draft list. We need more troops, ship off those morons. They're not our country's mental giants anyway. Frankly they're dead weight. They're so gung ho to ramshack the world, send them.

OK, let me try this one more time...

the alt link to the irc is:

http://members.cox.net/movingforwardtogether/pjirc/HeavyApplet.html

this link will allow you to change your nick in the bottom right hand corner...the other one i posted wont let you....and again...the normal link should work, once the problems with the internet tonight are resolved :)

Hang in there!!!

doc

Congratulations Dick and Karen and team! The site looks great - very readable. I can't wait to get started sharing the work we're doing in our area, and using suggestions and inspiration I glean from these pages.

And DiAnne, ehem, did you post that "Ten reasons not to move to Canada", TWICE, for my benefit? LOL ;-)

I am sure we have all run through the very same gamut of emotions here, so I don't think I need to describe them. Recently, I have gone from "still hopeful that this nightmare will turn around, believing that JK is working behind the scenes to uncover the fraud," to what Mark describes as "disillusioned and still in a form of idle shock."

It's been great to be able to stop in and chat with those of you who've been on the irc chat and feel the continuing sense of connection, and also comforting to know that I am not the only one who believes that this election was stolen, and that addressing the voting issue has got to be a priority.

To be honest, I'm not quite sure yet just how I will handle all of this, and so for now, I just thank you for including me in this forum.

Hello,
It's wonderful to see all of you back here on the blog. Is this a great site or what? We will now be able to organize throughout the Country and spread the word. We will now have a forum to make sure our viewpoint gets accross.

The good news is that some Repubs are already begining to see things outside the spin of Fox News and they are getting worried. How do I know? Listening to C-Span over the weekend, quite a few Republican women called in expressing anger about the far right trying to sneak in anti-abortion amendments into the spending bill on Saturday. Of course I called in and asked those Repubs...what did you expect? You voted for this on Nov. 2nd by voting for Bush.

Keep up the good work.....the new era begins right now!!!

hey!

this is my first post on this blog... just wanted to thank everyone for being here! you guys rock! As Ted Kennedy said in 1980, "..The work continues, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die!"

It's nice to see everyone back.

I have kept my bumper stickers on my cars. I wear my Kerry fleece wherever i go. I wear my Kerry/Edwards pin out all the time.

This has been very effective in finding our community out there and talking to them. I am very excited to be able to direct them here and help them get to where we have all come over the last two years to be local activists, organizers and leader for political change.

Are any of you surprised that is now how you think of yourself compared to how you thought about politics ten, five or even two years ago?

Let's teach them all how. Here is where we start them. So let's roll!

I kept 9 Kerry/Edwards & Kerry bumper stickers on my car. I still get honks & comments - like "let's form Cascadia with Canada" - seriously, people are still stunned but agreeing that we have to keep on the move. The only negative I had was someone putting some kind of North Vietnamese bill with Kerry's face on it on my step - very funny.
Not quite as obnoxious as the person who stole my Buddha but I think both individuals have some serious bad karma. I am looking into seeing what is going on more formally (politically & re. special issues) in my area as people mobilize again but have also been spending time "healing" - sorting music & photos & the paraphernalia/memorabilia of the past year - had to absorb information so rapidly that I felt I was skimming over alot & still do. But I think we have narrowed down two great targets: voter reform, media reform. I do not know ANY ONE who does not support these (except for maybe Bush supporters).

I kept the bumpersicker on my car (and the pin on my purse) but for the past few days I've been driving and have been getting flat tires- a different one each day- from someone letting the air out. My friends suspect it's because of the bumpersticker and say I should take it off, but I wont. That would be exactly what whoever's doing it wants.

Fun upcoming events regarding media:

Seattle
Saturday, November 27, 2pm
"Making Films That Matter: Meaningful Activism And The Movies"
Moderated by Avi Lewis
Panel members TBA.
Where: Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Avenue
http://www.nwfilmforum.org/thetake/

Chicago
"The Future of Public Television" conference
December 2 & 3
9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Museum of Contemporary Art Auditorium
220 East Chicago Avenue
http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/pbs/

St. Paul
Media Concentration Forum
Thursday, December 9
7:00pm to 11:00pm
Hamline University
Sundin Hall
1531 Hewitt Avenue
http://www.hamline.edu/events/calendar.html#dec

I am very happy to be back in groove with all you old, and new friends, and thank you, Dick and Karen and others, for reestablishing our contact. To share my thoughts with you:

(1)My note to Lee Harrison, the Chair of our Berkshire Democratic Council (w.Mass.)
First of all, thank you, Lee, for driving the point home with such force at the meeting last night, that we are Democrats/members of the Democratic Party. Some of the people last night who were complaining about the party and our candidates, were on the wrong track. Actually this campaign gave us a super-qualified, inspiring, strong, and articulate Democrat, who made a clean and powerful sweep in our primaries, who did all he could as an individual to fight for us, and who had some 57 million Americans (when and if all the votes, including the disenfranchised ones are counted) behind him. In cities of over 50,000 population, he won in a landslide. I expect he will lead the charge in the Senate--he promised he would.
It's been well established by all the good polls, and the enthusiastic crowds, and the money, and the dynamism of his campaign, that the majority of those who voted for him weren't just anti-Bush, they were pro-Kerry. And that as strategized by his campaign (and predicted by George Marcus, our resident expert, Williams College, on elections and polls), Independents and Undecideds and formerly non-voters, went for Kerry by significant percentages from the Dem convention to the election. On the supposed superiority of Clinton as an inspirer, as one woman remarked last nigh--I, too, watched the 125,000 crowd at the Kerry/Clinton rally in Philadelphia in October, and listened to both men speak. Kerry had a greater force and more inspiring and relevant message than Clinton (who, of course, was recovering from by-pass surgergy about 5 weeks before) and whipped up the crowd to a pitch. This was happening in other Kerry rallies through Sept. and October, all over the country, with crowds of 30-50,000 in the large cities. Kerry grew, as we did, as a Democrat. So we all needed to hear from you that what we Democrats need to do is keep building on our successes and the enthusiasm we mustered in this campaign, to gain more power and control of the electorate.

============================================
(2) To James MacGregor Burns, distinguished presidential historian, and a close personal friend:

Jim, you are absolutely right in your insistence that rebuilding the Democratic
Party, from grassroots up, is the key to getting America back into secure shape. Speculating about how Kerry should have done it differently or what his weaknesses were as a candidate, is a mistaken direction to go. The point is that any candidate needs a strong party behind him.
Look at how a strong Republican Party built up their man from an initially dubious candidate in 2000, with enormous weaknesses and only lukewarm support from most of the party, to a figure with charisma (granted, it's fake charisma, but they calculated correctly in what way people like to be fooled).

There are two reasons I'm intent on learning what I can about the vote
count fraud perpetrated by the Republicans, especially in Ohio and Florida:
One is that disenfranchising voters is a cardinal sin in a democracy. The
Republicans must pay for this. The second is, that before we berate ourselves about how badly we did in getting out the vote (as reported in the mainstream media), let's get an accurate picture of how much of the vote we really did get out. In my understanding of polls and the voting process, the Exit Polls tell a much more accurate story, and contradictory one,
from the vote tallies coming in on election night. We have to hold off the
circular firing squad among Democrats, until we get that clear. It's going
to take a while, and may be so muffled by White House power over the media,
and their own Justice Department, that we'll never know for sure. But we
must attack them on this, and hold the Democrats in the Senate and House
accountable to attacking for us. I'm expecting Kerry to lead the charge.
He promised he would.

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

(3)To a friend and Dem activist in Mass.:

I've been following the election fraud on a good website http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/index.phps=6b1908872c55758427181df9aea2a3e3&showforum=64 Look at this one also, a journal "The Free Press", Columbus, Ohio, edited by Bob Fitrakis, a real investigative journalist, lawyer, PhD in Political Science. http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/834

I don't know how much of this you can stand, but I am persuaded that in Florida and Ohio, massive voter fraud was carried out by the Republicans and that the Exit Polls, giving Kerry the win in both states, are the real thing, not the vote tabulations. The way the fraud was carried out--voter suppression, hacking of the central vote-count computers, huge throwing out of ballots by the Sec.'s of State, on questionable or illegal grounds, media suppression--will be hard to nail down, and will take time and determined investigative journalism. Watergate took a year to come out. So will Votergate 2004. There are some legal cases pending, especially one in Florida, that sounds promising.

Here is one of the many summary articles on this:
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=4370

I love the title Dick gave this thread--morphing Meetups. I know everyone's Meetup experience was different; here in DC they tended to be after-the-fact celebrations rather than proactive meetings.

But the notion is good in conception--small groups of motivated people coming together to plan activities. It would be wonderful if the democracy cell idea became a part of every Meetup's collective thinking--so that each group could come up with its own unique and emergent design for change.

Let's keep brainstorming about how to get the word out there--and about what kind of tools need to be here for local leaders to utilize.

Some ideas for how to get to the Media, through MeetUp organizing:

To a former journalist on the Berkshire Eagle, (w.Mass.)one of our Berkshire Brigades for Kerry people, who asked how we get media control

The huge majority, maybe all of us who voted for Kerry, agree with what you're saying about the media. Where were the reporters we used to call "investigative"? Well, they ARE at the NYTimes, The LA Times, The Washington Post, and the Internet--but even here, the big, good newspapers have been slow to investigate Bush, with great exceptions like Paul Krugman. The Internet is "where it's at" and the newspapers use the Internet to get their frontline information. But it is the Republican-dominated entertainment media that controls the air waves--talk radio (Rush), HardBall, screaming so-called debate shows like Firing Line, all of Fox News and the new face of CNN. There are signs that we're regaining some clout on the air, with our own entertainment, like Jon Stewart (Daily Show), James Carville, political satire on Letterman, Leno, Al Franken--and then a few serious critics like Bill Moyers, Carville, again, when he's off the shouting-match shows, and some people on NPR. We have to keep building on this--Al Sharpton was always my candidate for Talk Radio, for example. He has indicated that he's very interested in this role.

David Brock, who used to be a shil journalist for the Moonies, and then for the Far Right, wrote a revealing book (He was fired by the Right after writing a sort-of positive book about Hilary Clinton) and has given interviews, about the vast Media conspiracy on the Far Right, that has been building its control of our national media for at least 30 years. He also makes the point that the Democrats can do the same and, he thinks, have already started, with Franken, maybe Al Gore is thinking about this. We need to fight this Repub media control with both barrels, that is, both entertainment and serious, with a combination of both. On the entertainment side--I am devoted to political satire, really powerfully done and serious political satire, as a great weapon for the good. And we're much better and smarter at it than the Far Right, and have a smarter audience. Many of us have been saying that the counterpart of Rush Limbaugh is Jon Stewart, on whom more and more of us rely for OUR news. On the serious side, we need not only more Bill Moyers' but also serious investigative reporting into Rupert Murdoch's inner workings, identifying who the Repug big money is behind networks like Fox and Sinclair Broadcasting, how the Administration is trying to eviscerate networks like NPR through legislation, cutting of funding, and censorship.

This is a tall order, but we can do this. We can use our Kerry army, still in uniform, to conspire together on our side, to reveal all this and put out our own forces in the media. Besides smarts, we also need money. Wonder who the Rupert Murdoch will be on our side?

hello hello and wow!!!
tutterfly late, computer problems last evening prevented me......
you should have seen me, charging around here, hollering at the gods of the internetsssss.
dick, you are mahvelous!
homecoming is sweet.

Posted by: Tela Zasloff | November 22, 2004 08:34 AM

Hi Tela, good to see you here, thought I would post the link to Media Matters, they do an outstanding job of showing the falsehoods of what is called the "liberal media",we need to correct that myth.

http://mediamatters.org/

NO SURRENDER !!!

Hi, folks! Thanks Indy, for the invite! I *love* what you've done with the place, Dick, et al. Just wonderful!

okay, i have recovered from my excitement and now i have something to say. in all of these weeks since 11-2, we have run up some ideas that are interesting and workable. there is much talent among us, and passion too. america does not belong to a party, it belongs to the people. while our own individual voices tend to get lost in a sea of sound, our collective efforts will be loud enough to demand attention.
the fight is never easy. justice, equality, and good governance need help. finding like minds in our own neighborhoods is beginning. tolerance of differing opinions, open minds, and willing hands will be required.
i have thought long and hard about this. it is no longer allowable to be indifferent if you want change. it is no longer allowable to be a follower waiting for a leader.
i love this country, my name belongs on the page that says "owner" along with all of yours. i want my country back.
we must not rely on the "media" right now they are not our friends. as indy says, WE are the media. and we will not be ignored, or marginilized.
this blog is both a home and a meeting hall. it is an education center, and an organizing unit. we must bring in information and take it out, too.
i am glad to be here at the beginning, and i pledge that i am here until the end. unity, democracy, and equality for all of us, to all of us, from all of us.
great love carries great responsibility, and my love for america prompts me to take my share of the responsibility.
i'm ready, and i am not afraid.

Good concise article to pass along.

Litigating the Election
By Marjorie Cohn

t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Monday 22 November 2004

Without much fanfare, a number of lawyers are busy mounting court challenges to the election. Lawsuits have been filed and other actions are being taken in Ohio and Florida, the two key electoral states. Members of Congress have demanded a General Accountability Office investigation of the election. The largest Freedom of Information Act request in the nation's history has been launched, and other efforts are in the works.

Is there substance to these challenges? On Thursday, the University of California's Berkeley Quantitative Methods Research Team released a statistical study - the sole method available to monitor the accuracy of e-voting - reporting irregularities associated with electronic voting machines may have awarded 130,000-260,000 or more excess votes to Bush in Florida. The three counties where the voting anomalies were most prevalent were also the most heavily Democratic: Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade, respectively. The official tally in Florida shows Bush with 380,978 more votes than Kerry.
More>

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/112204A.shtml

NO SURRENDER !!!

CANTON — Janet Gross of North Canton went to the Knights of Columbus Hall to vote this year like she does every year. When she got there, the poll workers didn’t have her name listed.

They told her that she had to fill out a provisional ballot, which would be verified after the election. Gross, who has lived on Circle Hill Road SE for 40 years, found out Friday that her vote won’t count.

Her vote was one of 505 provisional ballots rejected by the four-member Stark County Board of Elections because the vote was cast at the wrong precinct.

Gross may have been at the right polling place, but she went to the wrong precinct table. The Knights of Columbus had three precincts in the hall. Gross was supposed to vote in precinct 3D, but she voted in precinct 3C. The provisional ballot of her son, David Gross, also didn’t count because he was at the wrong precinct.

You have to register to read full story.
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=193617&Category=9

3 Precincts in ONE place is ludicrous.

NO SURRENDER !!!

Still have my Kerry bumpersticker on my car, there's no way I am taking it off. I see tons of them around town too. Wore my Kerry/Edwards T-shirt while visiting Las Vegas last week and got tons of comments from locals that couldn't believe their state had gone red considering the whole Yucca Mountain debacle. I am so proud that I voted for Kerry/Edwards. We are still the warriors and front-line troops in this battle. I still feel the need to discuss our cause with others. Thanks again, Mr. Bell, for this opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces that are equally dedicated to Democratic causes. Together, we can move mountains. Haven't written this in a while : Kerry on!

some good news r/t voter fraud reduction:

Judge denies request that some King County ballots not be counted

SEATTLE (AP) ˜ A federal judge on Sunday denied the state Republican Party's bid to force one of the state's most heavily Democratic counties to stop counting some ballots in the recount of the extremely close race for governor.

In a conference call with lawyers, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman denied the GOP's request for a temporary restraining order barring King County from hand-counting ballots that optical scanning machines reject because they can't be read electronically.
snip-----
State Democratic Party chairman Paul Berendt praised the judge's ruling as "a good decision."

"It's good for voters because it's consistent with the standard we would like to see ˜ that every vote be counted," Berendt said.

Good morning beautiful people:)

Just in case you all hadn't heard, the Kerry girls will be on 'Larry King Live!' tonight at 7pm est

Think this will be the first time we hear from them live since black tuesday.

Are we all back up and running. While the biggest shock was four more years (as Teresa put it) of Hell, it was also a shock to suddenly lose our community on the old blog.

With Dick and Karen spreading the word on this, my guess is that this will become our new "home." Many of you have already been over to our home in exile after the official blog closed. For those who haven't, check out the Unofficial Kerry for President Blog at:

http://kerryblog.blogspot.com

There's been many post-election posts there.

I've also kept the Kerry 2004 Reference Library going (with some post-election articles) at:

http://kerrylibrary.forumflash.com

Good morning all:)
It was so nice this morning to get up and know this was up and running!
Thank you once again to Dick,Karen and staff for all of the hard work in this next step that we are taking, and for giving people a forum in which to positively promote changes for democracy to flourish!

A quick good morning! "Oncall" sent me the link, and this certainly has made my day.

I am glad to see the old crowd.

Thanks to everyone who put this together. More soon.

Bonjour, bonjourI

I said hello on the other thread, but I might miss some of you.

Guess what? The world is still blue ouside.
Think America needs a good make over and it starts right here!

I'm so happy to see familiar names.

Bad news from the Unofficial Kerry for President Blog:
http://kerryblog.blogspot.com/

Our hopes for overturning the theocracy which seems to be replacing American democracy looks like an uphill battle based upon a recent Gallup poll:

Only about a third of Americans believe that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is a scientific theory that has been well supported by the evidence, while just as many say that it is just one of many theories and has not been supported by the evidence. The rest say they don't know enough to say. Forty-five percent of Americans also believe that God created human beings pretty much in their present form about 10,000 years ago. A third of Americans are biblical literalists who believe that the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word.

I fear this data goes along with other data on the difference between blue and red state voters previously noted here (Stupid Enough to Vote for Bush).

I found this on Juan Cole's site. It looks like an interesting way to use the web to communicate and learn, and seems very much in line with our new cell site's goals. The first one hour seminar is on Nov. 30th at 6pm (EST I presume) and will feature Amy Goodman, John Sperling, and Suzanne Helburn

Metro America Webinar Series

The Metro America Webinar is a free web-based series of seminars on critical issues dividing the nation. The Webinar series is one of several projects stemming from the bestselling book The Great Divide: Retro vs. Metro America. The Great Divide platform seeks to reenergize the Democratic spirit and spark a progressive movement that ultimately will reunite Americans. Key Webinar topics range from education reform to foreign policy. Topics focus on The Great Divide thesis that the U.S. is really two nations: one traditional and rooted in the past and one modern and focused on the future.

https://compx11.eventcenterlive.com/cfmx/ec/register/reg.cfm?BID=1&RegID=43A25BD6

Sorry that link didn't come through properly. Let's see if this one works...

http://compx11.eventcenterlive.com/cfmx/ec/register/reg.cfm?BID=1&RegID=43A25BD6

Hello all,

November 4, the Hawaii for Kerry Blog became Step up 4 Change. A group of faithful democrats unwilling to stop worrying the bone as it were.

Not a day goes by without some new disgrace being posted by one of the group. I have to say I have cruised alot of sites looking for Dick Bell's talent... Of course nothing has come close.... WE LOVE DICK BELL!

BUT.... stepup4change has at least kept me on the edge of the forefront. At least as well informed day to day as I try to be.

Something too, about being in Hawaii makes the fear less and the strength to continue to fight the good fight... easier.

Please check it out, keep us on your lists, this group likes to fight, fight, fight! We truly believe this election was stolen and are doing something about it.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stepup4change/

NEEDLESS TO SAY:
THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR HELP IN THE PAST AND THANKYOU FOR THIS CURRENT ADVENTURE. It feels good to see all the old names posting together. Missed you all so much. Hope everyone has recovered and found a place in themselves to continue on with the huge job we face in the next two years.

Hope everyone is well and working on everyday personal happiness. Don't worry so much, you'll always have me and the dog!

Much love and Aloha,
Sincerely,
Faith O'Neill
posted really at 6:57am Hawaii time :)

more disturbing news.......

the sisters of charity, seaton hill, greensburg pa. we not able to obtain ANY flu shots this year. medically fragile sister live within the community. as a result, the community is on lock down. there will be no christmas craft show and cookie sale (a major fund raiser) no carol sing in town. the sisters are not allowed to leave the community this holiday season, nor are they allowed visitors. this is a group of nuns, beloved and respected in the greater pittsburgh area. seaton hill university is located here. the part of the community on lock down is caritas christi, the unit for retired sisters, this is also the nursing home building.

the mission of the sisters is to reach out to people, to educate and assist the poor. because of the lack of flu shots, and their fear for the health of their sisters, they will be unable to be out and about this holiday season. the retied sisters volunteer for many community programs. now, they cannot interact as their vows require.

i do not post this because i am looking for 100+ flu shots for some very nice nuns, (one of whom is my aunt) but because it is another reminder of just how much compassionate conservatism is NOT at work in our lives. it is a travesty, one among many travesties, that we must remember.

the flu shot shortage need never have happened, but the bush administration ignored it, and the people who have been hurt by it. we have all been reminded from the recent e-mail and video from john kerry, that health care for children should be universal. my thinking is that sisters, who take a vow of poverty should not be without a simple flu shot. it is all part and parcel of the same fight.

the movement is alive, and we have serious problems facing us. our concerns are many and deeply held. this is just another one that fires me up.

i will be writing and LTE to voice my frustration and anger, on this issue. i expect to be very busy, on this and so much more.

all of the positions and platforms from the kerry campaign did not stop with the end of the election. we still own those concerns, and we are still fighting. we may have lost one battle, but we are still involved with the war.

viva beautiful bloggers!!!!!

TUTTER you so FLY!

Isn't it great to be back?

welcome home faith1

its nice to follow one of your posts on a blog again.

i thought of you right away when the disgrace about the 9-11 bill finally reared its ugly head.

9-11 families should not only be outraged, but vocal. i think about the ones who supported the RESIDENT (i am not using his name right now, self restricted) and wonder if they regret their decision.

much love to you!!!

Yes indeed Tutterfly
Good to be home!

Of course you heard the small bit inserted at the end which helped the bill to fail...

GIVING 'THEM' THE FREEDOM TO LOOK AT ANYONES TAX RETURN WHICH THEY WANT TO LOOK AT!!!

(INSERT VERY BAD WORDS HERE!)

... so good tutter to be able to post after you again!

Love always as usual...
And a public THANKYOU to Mike for keeping me informed about this site. THANKS AGAIN!

well off to do my day.

One last word on the widows...

very few actually voted for 'that man'
they just made the few who voted for him a BIG story.

Most of the widows voted for Kerry.

If I were a 911 widow and had been involved in the last four years, which I watched closely their struggle...

I would be so tired, tired by the storm without, totally disgusted and depressed.
I know they will come out swinging soon, but have great empathy for their situation.

Nothing would have happened without them, bush fought everything they tried to do, everything we have today on the 911 bill is because of them. I intend to give them a holiday break... and then watch and support every move they make.

But again... imagine their depression after 4 years of very brutal fighting... to end this way... send them your love K!

I like the new blog but I do believe our chat room has been hacked by fascists.

Anyone hear ANYTHING out of Ohio yet today?

chat room hi-jacked? I'm looking at it and everything seems normal in there right now.

I am so glad to see the blog back up and re-made into something we can you to do some constructive work. I know everyone has been looking for a place to put all the wonderful Kerry-energy.

Is someone running a new England meetup?

I love you beutiful bloggers. I have total faith we shall overcome.

by the way the sidewalkchalk headlines im writing on the streets are attracting much attention already however its raining every 12 hours here now BUT ITS WORKING GREAT..i highly recommend sidewalkchalking the streets.

PC I still cant get your chat room its telling me the page dont exist.

and yes i rechecked the addy...not sure whats up

Please remember to pass John Kerry's Healthcare Pledge around, lets show that we are still very strong, and we are not going away.

http://www.johnkerry.com/petition/everychild.php

NO SURRENDER !!!

KerryDem (aka CarolforKerry)

omg yall look

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/tankhandcuffs.jpg

most of the dead Iraqi men in this pic are HANDCUFFED?

Hello All!

Welcome to Democracy Island! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Hey Christy...

http://members.cox.net/movingforwardtogether/pjirc/HeavyApplet.html

Hello Brother Indy....

whatever your plans are COUNT ME IN

More NEWS on Ohio votes.

How the Ohio election was rigged for Bush
November 22, 2004

Following four community public hearings in Ohio about election irregularities and voter suppression – two in the capitol, Columbus, and one each in Cincinnati and Cleveland – a clear pattern and practice of voter disenfranchisement is emerging.

In order to understand the extent of the voter suppression in the inner city of Columbus and Franklin County, overwhelmingly Democratic wards, start with the phrase: “Machines Placed By Close Of Polls” on the last page of the county’s 17-page voting machine allocation report.

More>

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/995

NO SURRENDER !!!

anyone else have the feeling they are about to remove ALL journalists from Iraq for'safety reasons'?

The fact that all our allies now can see our soldiers commiting war crimes i only wonder how much longer theyll let us have access....

Is it possible for them to shut down almost all our communications?

ok i admit i may be bordering on paranoia but somehow i feel its warrented

I just heard from a neighbor who is staying involved with MoveOn PAC & another neighbor who returned from Italy after the "election" is getting involved.

Another friend from AZ just had a MoveOn house party last night w/40 people & I noticed there were quite a few of those around this area.

Looking back through "Bakesale for Democracy" photos from summer (& many others) & seeing that there was alot of energy & we need to keep it alive.

We just donated $100 to ACLU. Watch for new laws being proposed in Congress which could make many more things illegal re how you use your recording equipment & computer.

Hey guys...we have found out that our service provider for www.winbeta.org is having trouble, and that is why your normal link to the irc chat is not working. I have set up an alternate link to get on for now, until the provider has our service restored.

The IRC network servers are unaffected by this webpage outage.

you can access the irc using this link:

http://members.cox.net/movingforwardtogether/pjirc/HeavyApplet.html

sry for the inconvenience, doc:)

Thanks, Ron Chusid for the post about people living in the Stone Age & welcome Dr. Ron!

I counted nine peace vigils starting back up in this area (Seattle). People are mobilizing.

I see lots of good familiar names here. Yea!

Hey, it's JewGrl from the blog. so glad to see all of you again!

We told Karen if they built it we would come :) So nice to you all! I have missed you guys and girls.

Also at the Unofficial Kerry Blog (along with the above post, news on the Ohio recount, and more):

We've already seen moves by Bush and DeLay to centralize power and undermine Constitutional check and balances. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frisk is moving in the same direction. The Hill reports:

The Republican Conference changed its rules yesterday to give Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) new powers to ensure party discipline.

A coalition of loyalist and new senators managed unexpectedly to push through the more sweeping version of the proposed changes, defeating a watered-down proposal.

The stronger one, which passed on a 27-26 secret-ballot vote, allows Frist to fill half
of all vacancies on “A” committees as he chooses. The other half would be made by seniority, the traditional way Republicans award committee slots.

“It certainly leaves the option open for significant changes in the way we do business around here,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), an opponent of the idea.

Critics warned that Frist could use his new powers to punish those who challenge party orthodoxy and reward those to toe the leadership line. Asked how he would employ his new powers, Frist told The Hill, “Sensibly, reasonably, responsibly.” He said he looked forward to “maximizing the strength of each U.S. Senate member.”

But Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), a maverick who has criticized White House strategy, said, “I’m one who believes we must always be careful of centralization of power in any institution. We have to be careful with this. It has some unintended consequences.”

In their Tipsheet for November 19, The Hill also noted that Frisk plans to procede with plans to utilize "the nuclear option" to prevent filibusters of judicial nominees, but will postpone this until at least February.

http://kerryblog.blogspot.com

These Bush allies are truly radicals in every sense of the word. Someone should tell Dr. Frist that if they try to utilize a "nuclear option", he may set off a nasty chain reaction that will resonate throughout the country, and the world - and that will make the question abortion seems like child's play.

It's also interesting that they don't seem to be concerned about the prospect of being the opposition party again. I guess that leads to the topic of the next main post on this blog.

republicans know that we are and will mobilize. they know we are active, organizing and angry.

their plan is to box us up and lock us out wherever possible. they are looking for every place possible to keep power, and lock the door on dissent, questions, and opposing views.

remember the sound of music. "when the lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." we will find windows.

underbear, come back to the blog. we have showtunes and we are not afraid to use them!!

remember, it may get worse, before it gets better. be prepared for setbacks. be prepared for problems.

however, do not prepare for defeat, because we will win in the end, and you don't want to miss it. don't be a quitter.

go find people to join the effort. and when you find one, then go find two more. every idea needs exploration, every joiner must have their voice.

there are going to be lots of regretful you know who supporters out there very soon. make sure you find them too. bring them on, bring them over, and let them know we have room for them.

Some how we are going to have to start putting our toes in the dirty red water in places like Texas, Georgia, and Colorado. We need to choose our battles carefully to significant state issues like redistricting, b/c unless we have some presence in red states we will continue to have our hearts broken, and the scars this time are very deep. Even though Bill Clinton knew he didn't have a prayer here in Texas he took several bus trip through the state in 1991. Unfortunately, he and the rest of the national party have ever since completely walked away from us with money and organization and our light red has turned into blood red. We can't even win dog catcher races or low level judicial races and that has got to stop.

Ira,
Good to see you here. You are right about the need to penetrate the red states-and how to do so is part of the dialogue here and in the various democracy "cells" we need. Did you see the map from University of Michigan?

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/countycartlinearlarge.png

Check it out--it shows that we are not so much divided as we are a country of blue organs and red connective tissue. It's cutting into that connective tissue of deceit that we need to figure out. Stick around and help.

We stand with feet firmly planted in reality. We keep our faces toward the sun despite the clouds. Together we decide that freedom is not free and that we must fight for truth and justice every day.

We're BAA-AACK! Not that we ever really left.

We have the time, the intent, and now the democracy cell project to help organize the effort. Focus on being the vocal point and we will prevail.

Ira
My son points out that we should do better in states like West Virginia & Arkansas & isn't convinced we made enough effort - that we should focus more there.

Regrouping as activist cells sounds good to me. In the meantime:

"Kerry/Edwards Campaign Participates Ohio Recount Ohio Democratic Party Seeks Volunteers to Help Recount."
http://www.ohiodems.org/

Also to be covered on Keith Olberman's Countdown tonite at 8 pm est

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/
:o)

On the plane last night, reading the latest issue of Newsweek, in the leters section, there was a overwhelming majority of the letters that favored John Kerry and made some very good points which could be referenced here... take a gander.

Gee, what a shock...

Spending bills plagued by secretive process

Critics outraged over surprises in massive budget measures

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6562493/

My point regarding penetrating Red states be they Texas, Georgia, Colorado etc is not some grand plan to suddenly start winning them like some JK bloggers insisted we would, but rather to grow our party in the next 4 years and gain that extra 5% of the vote that we need to take back the country. Having a presence in red states would be symbolic to the cultural right, to folks in states like West Virginia and Arkansas that should be voting Democratic b/c of economic reasons but won't b/c they feel that the Democratic party has turned their backs on them. We need to start sending direct messages to southerners that it is OK to vote Democrat and the time to start is now b/c it will take at least 4 years to me a dent in this national pereception. I totally blame the DNC for this fiasco.Our next Democratic Party leader needs to be southernen; I believe Donna Brazil is from Louisiana and would be a great symbol of our party. Mark Warner or ex governor Beasley should also be given serious consideration. Every 4 years we hear lip service from the DNC about how they will be doing things differently next election cycle and start paying attention to the south. I have not seen one dime or one party leader down here in Texas in 13 years since Bill Clinton's 1991 bus trip throughout Texas with Ann Richards.The more election cycles we continue this insanity the more wasted generations it will take to reverse course. Just think if we had done a few points better in all of the south in polling JK's numbers nationally would have gone up to 51-52% and it would have created a momentum of inevitably that the sorry voters of Ohio and this nation would not have ignored. In the primary debates Howard Dean, John Edwards, John Kerry, and Al Sharpton had sharp words about shotguns in the gunracks of pickups with rebel flags that was belitteld but that was it about the south for 13 months. And that was our southern strategy?

I am not religious and this election has turned me off to religion, but a wonderful Lutheran family in Denver that I stayed with while working on the Colorado presidential effort just sent me this uplifting message that I want to share:

Sometimes, overwhelmed by bills
And ambitions, we find it hard to remember
That life is a GIFT. O but every moment
That life is a gift. O but every moment
Is a bonus. None of us has done anything
Too earn a place here: we are blessed
To be given a life, a chance to feel
The gamut of emotions most especially
GRATITUDE, for the chance to breathe,
And take part in this vast creation.
Our lives are long or short,
But for however long we are here,
We all have an opportunity to know
The possibility of PEACE, the thrill
Of joyous celebration, come now
In the waning days of the year.
We gather on one special day, set aside
For centuries as a day to speak
A happy note of thanks to One above all,
Who has provided us with the wealth
Of life, and our bounty, freely given
In the grace of circumstance
Which fills our hearts with gladness.
Let us rejoice ! We are a free people
And we feast once again, crowned
As we are with exceptionally good fortune.

Freddy Bosco >>
Since Thanksgiving is the celebration of Religious Tolerance and the Pilgrim's leaving Europe to avoid Religious Persecution we should remind the Evangelicals this Thanksgiving that the Democratic Party celebrates Religious Tolerance.

dianne:

I know that you were a very strong JK supporter and this is not a knock on your posts or susan's, but its over and belaboring the point in Ohio is like slamming your head against the wall. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The DNC should not waste one dime in this Ohio recount effort. Personally I am totally pissed off with Ohio voters and don't think they deserve one moment of our time. If there was ever a reason or time for them to vote Democratic 2004 was the time and massive unemployment was the reason. I told me wife last summer that the DNC should not trust Ohions to vote Democratic. They have a screw lose and until they get their own act together and their own state Democratic Party organized, we should move on to concentrate on states like Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Arkansas and maybe even Virginia. I don't trust Ohio in Presidential election, never have and never will. Seems to me that the Kerry campaign put the whole election and our futures in the hands of Ohions. From past voting patterns in Ohio I would never have done that.