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From:
Armed Madhouse
by Greg Palast 2006
http://gregpalast.compages 205-10
The caging memo distribution list makes clear the Republican National Committee was into in up their necks notwithstanding the 1981 no-race-baiting consent decree and the Voting Rights Act...
In fairness, I acknowledge that Republican lists did not target only Black people. In Palm Beach, they hit retirement areas for elderly Jews, another ethnic demographic that cussedly insisted on voting for Democrat.
The Ballot at the Back of the Bus
But a challenge to a vote does not itself block a citizen's taking a ballot or prevent its counting. Here's where scamming the vote gets truly complex and deliciously devious.
It comes down to something call a "provisional ballot," a whole new category of mischief created just for the 2004 race. "Provisional" ballots are baloney ballots, kind of a voting placebo. A provisional voter thinks his or her vote counted when it's likely to havebeen tossed in the garbage. A whole new category of "spoilage."
Like all bad ideas,provisional voting started out as a good idea. It originated with the Congressional Black Caucus reaction to the Guardian and BBC reports uncovering, in the 2000 election race, that tens of thousands of African-American voters were wrongly erased from Florida voter rolls just before the election. That story didn't make it to American TV, but Congressional Black Caucus members got the word and got real steamed. Rep. Corinne Brown of Jacksonville, minutes after watching the BBC film on video, marched onto the floor of Congress and denounced the 2000 as "the United States' coup d'etat." For that simple recitation of fact, the Republican majority voted to censure her, a rare punishment from which even thieves, scoundrels and senators have been spared.
Congresswoman Brown and the Black Caucus demanded a procedure that would allow a voter to get a ballot even if his or her name is missing from the rolls. The ballot would be kept aside, marked "provisional," yet would still be counted, on review, once the polls closed. Some states already had "affidavit" ballots and it was assumed that, like affidavit ballots, the provisionals would be counted unless there was evidence a voter was lying, an extremely rare occurrence.
So, the Black Caucus demanded provisional voting. Then, in 2002, something terribly suspicious happened: The Republicans agreed.
Why? A newfound commitment to civil rights by the party of Lincoln? Or an invitation by the spider to dine with the fly?
The "provisional" ballot was the Republican's come-on for the Congressional Black Caucus to support something called the "Help America Vote Act." The Black Caucus should have known: When the Bush family tells us they are going to "help" us vote, look out. George Bush signed it in 2002, grinning.
In the new law, the Black Caucus won the requirement that states hand out provisional ballots.
The law requires states to give out the provisional ballots, but it does not require states to count them.
And they didn't. The number of provisional ballots handed out on Election Day 2004 was stunning, utterly unpredicted by its sponsors:* The total number of voters shunted to provisional ballots was 3,107,490.* And the number rejected was even more surprising: 1,090,729.
It was breathtaking. A million votes trashed.
How could that have happened? That's where the "caging lists" and challenges come into play. The wild explosion of provisional ballots did not occur spontaneously. The massive, coordinated challenge campaign was the engine that dragged Back voters to the ballot at the back of the bus...
November 2, 2004, was a provisional ballot auto-da-fe, a bonfire of the ballot box. Ballots were rejected, effectively tossed away, by the hundreds of thousands. And once again, the provisional voters who were rejected had a dark hue; and there were just enough of these to create the margin of victory for George W. Bush in Iowa, New Mexico, and Ohio.
Let's go back to that little bait-and-switch in the Help America Vote Law: giving ballots to any legitimate voter who requests one, but not requiring the ballots be counted. It was left up to each of the 50 Secretaries of State. And in Ohio, Secretary of State Blackwell announced an odd rule indeed, just days before the election. For decades before the 2004 race, Ohio voters could cast a provisional "affidavit" ballot in any precinct in their county. After all, it's the same president for everyone in Ohio. Under Blackwell's new rule, however, if they cast their provisional ballot in the "wrong" precinct, out it would go, uncounted. It was a terribly cute maneuver: In many cases, voters were told not to bother to go to the right precinct because they could vote on the provisional ballot. Often, the "right" precinct was simply another table in the same school gym where they were voting.
Voters left smiling. Then, even if it was later determined the voter was legitimately registered but in the "wrong" precinct, Blackwell, under his new rule, ordered their provivional ballots trashed...Blackwell was Co-Chairman of the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign in Ohio...two hats...one head...
...in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a state I knew to be whisker close. "They're handing out provisional ballots like candy to Mexicanos,"...officials refused to count 6,593 of them, more than Bush's New Mexico "victory margin."...
...in Colorado, poll watchers noted the extraordinarily high number of Hispanic voters hustled to the "provisional" booth. Twelve thousand provisional ballots were then voided by rulings from the Republican Secretary of State.
In Nevada, one of the closest states of all, where both Native Americans and Hispanics were deluged with provisional ballots, the Republican Secretary of State rejected an astonishing 60% of the provisional ballots...registration forms...collected by an outfit with the do-gooder name of Voter Outreach...funded by Arizona operatives of Sproul & Associates...funded by the Republican National Committee...collected registrations, then, says an insider in a sworn affidavit, "Voter Outreach" recorded the Republican ones...
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Artists' Project Earth
http://apeuk.org/links.htm======
United Farm Workers
http://ufw.org/_page.phpmenu=research&inc=research_link.html======
From:Acid Rain Affects Large Swathes of China
8/28/6 Reuters
http://www.enn.com/water.html?id=436&ref=rssBeijing - Acid rain caused by sulphur dioxide spewed from factories and power plants affected a third of China's vast land mass last year, posing a threat to food safety...
Discharge of sulphur dioxide in booming China rose by 27 percent between 2000 and 2005...
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http://fairtradefederation.orghttp://www.state.gov/g/oes/climate/rl/======
http://healthfreedomusa.orghttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5266884912495233634======
Air & Water Management Association
http://www.awma.org======
http://globalexchangestore.orghttp://globalexchange.orghttp://kiva.orghttp://shopequita.com======
Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate
http://asiapacificpartnership.org======
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002861.php...To paraphrase Conan Doyle, "I draw your attention to the curious incident of the bees in the night-time." "The bees did nothing in the night-time." "That was the curious incident."
AgriBusiness Giants like ADM have made huge donations to BushCheney. They have made an equally huge bet on genetically modified crops.
Now, research suggest that AgriBusiness giants’ genetically modified crops - such as those that contain foreign genes that result in crops killing pests that usually feed on them - may inadvertently be killing thousands of bee HIVES, especially on the US East and West coasts. Also in Europe.
No bees. No crops. No food. No joke. Google it. Compare, especially, the differential bee deaths in the US v. Europe, which plants a tiny fraction of the GM crops allowed in the US.Posted by: mbbsdphilDate: March 24, 2007 12:06 AM...
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House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Select_Committee_on_Energy_Independence_and_Global_Warming======
http://algore.com/index2.htmlhttp://blog.algore.com======
http://blacksmithinstitute.orghttp://environmentalhealthnews.orghttp://10000villages.orghttp://buildingnewhope.orghttp://transfairusa.orghttp://blackgoldmovie.comhttp://deansbeans.comhttp://pbs.org/independentlens======
My Vote Don't Matter Any More
http://victoriaparks.com/mp3/MyVoteDontMatterAnymore.mp3http://victoriaparks.com/lyrics.htmlhttp://victoriaparks.com/imgoingsolar.html======
waging peace at war's pace
http://redpeacecross.com/index.html======
re voting,
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7909881051819384902======
http://newrules.orghttp://backbonecampaign.org/platform/resources.cfm======
http://dailykos.comhttp://publicintegrity.org======
Student Environmental Action Coalition
http://seac.org======
Global Warming 2007: It's Time for ActionSponsored by: PennFutureSaturday, March 31, 20079:30am -- 2:30pmLocation: Mercy Hospital -- Sister Ferdinand Clark Auditorium, 1400 Locust St., Pittsburgh (Oakland)Registration FREE but required: 1-800-321-7775 or
https://www.pennfuture.org/form_secure.aspx?form_name=GlobalWarmingLearn the latest on federal and state legislation, policies, and global warming science. Discuss what Pennsylvania can (and is) doing to slow global warming. Network with citizens across the region and state taking action on global warming. Hear experts and policymakers, including: United States Senator Bob Casey, Jr.; Angela Anderson, Director, Clear the Air; Jeanne Dworetzky, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority; Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel, Climate Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists; John Hanger, President and CEO of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future; Sister M. Christopher Moore, Provincial Minister, Felician Sisters of Pennsylvania; State Representative Jake Wheatley, Jr. (District 19) and other experts in global warming and clean energy policy.
Women's Health & the Environment -- New Science, New SolutionsSponsored by: Teresa Heinz, The Heinz Endowments, and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMCFriday, April 20, 2007FREE Through Women's Health & the Environment: New Science, New Solutions you can learn about recent and important discoveries in environmental health and walk away with strategies for designing a safer and healthier world. The conference features an illustrious panel of highly respected scientists, environmentalists and activists. This day-long conference will empower and inform you to take actions that can improve your life and the lives of the women - and men - you love. All attendees will receive a toolkit with resources and materials to enhance their health and wellness journey.For more information and to register go to
http://www.womenshealthpittsburgh.org/Realities and Challenges of Global Warming/Global DimmingMonday, April 23, 2007Sponsored by: Society of Analytical Chemists of Pgh., Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh, American Chemical Society -- Pgh. Section11:30am -- 6:30pm$15Location: Eddy Theatre, Chatham College, Pittsburgh, PAGo to
http://www.sacp.org/tripartite.pdf for more information and to download a registration form
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Urban Farming talks are all at CMU from 5:30-7 PM in Rangos 1& 2, UniversityCenter
http://thefoodproject.org/TuesdayApril24, 2007
HighTunnelTechnology:
AToolforEconomic Development,JobCreation,
andIncreasedQualityofLifethroughUrban Agriculture
Dr.WilliamJamesLamont,Jr.ProfessorofVegetableCrops
DepartmentofHorticulture
ThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity,UniversityPark,PA
http://plasticulture.cas.psu.edu/ http://www.sare.org/highlights/2004/tunnels.htmHigh tunnels are one of the componentsof season extension technology. They are not conventional greenhouses,but like plastic-covered greenhouses; they are generallyquonset-shaped, constructed of metal bows that are attached to metalposts which have been driven into the ground about two feet deep. They are covered with one layer of 6-mil greenhouse-gradepolyethylene, and are ventilated by manually rolling up the sides eachmorning and rolling them down in early evening. There is no permanentheating system although it is advisable to have a standby portablepropane unit to protect against unexpected below-freezingtemperatures. There are no electrical connections. The only externalconnection is a water supply for trickle irrigation. They are used toextend the growing season, and a high tunnel without any supplementalheat in Pennsylvania can produce crops from March until earlyDecember. Since 1998, and the founding of the High Tunnel Research andEducation Facility at Penn State, a wide variety of vegetables, smallfruits and cut flowers have been successfully grown in high tunnels.Crops are either grown in permanent raised wood framed beds or inground using plastic mulch to warm the soil and help control theweeds. In the urban environment, due to the high levels of heavymetals in the soils the use of raised beds with new soil is practiced.High tunnels offer the opportunity to take vacant land in urban environments and create jobs while ensuring a continuous supply of nutritious vegetables and small fruits and cut flowers that can bemarketed to the local communities or to restaurants, farmer marketsand other retail outlets. These activities will increase the qualityof life in those communities and offer entrepreneurial opportunitiesand careers in all phases of urban agriculture.
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EndocrineDisruption:
Extending Rachel Carson's Legacy
Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy
These talks take place at CMU from 4:30-6PM in the Adamson Wing, Baker Hall 136A.
Thursday April12, 2007
Lessons from the Swamp: Contaminants, Alligators,& YourReproductiveHealth
Lou Guillette
Distinguished Professor of Zoology, Associate Dean for Research
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Florida
EnvironmentalJustice
The LaPaglia Ethics Lecture
4:30-6PM AdamsonWing,BakerHall136A
FridayMarch30, 2007
Nanotechnology, Environmental Ethics and Environmental Justice
RonaldSandler,Assistant Professor of Philosophy
and Senior Researcher in the
Nanotechnology and Society Research Group, Northeastern University
http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/tabid/240/default.aspxhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=5032+Forbes+Avenue,+Pittsburgh,+PA+15213 Urban Farming Initiative (UFI),
Group Against Smog & Pollution (GASP),
and Putting Down Roots:
Science & Environmental Education, Consulting, Graphics
and Communications for Sustainable Communities...
Local food systems, urban agriculture, green building, green business.
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http://studentsforbhopal.orghttp://seeingtheforest.comhttp://civicmediacenter.org/links
