Tag Archives: politics

Peter Camejo died this morning, September 13, 2008.

Posted on September 13, 2008 | Leave a comment

From Peter Camejo Updates

Dear Friends,

We are very sorry to bring the following message from Peter’s family to you.

——————————————————————

9/13/2008

It is with great sadness and regret that we have to inform you that Peter Camejo died this morning. Peter decided that he would be more comfortable at home, and the doctors agreed. Arrangements were made, and ultimately Peter returned home yesterday. Peter’s health had declined rapidly over the last two days due to the aggressiveness of his cancer and the strength of the drugs used to combat his disease. His wife was at his side when he passed peacefully this morning.

Peter is survived by his wife Morella, his daughter Alexandra, his son Victor, three brothers Antonio, Daniel, and Danny, and three grandchildren Andrew and Daniel and Oliver.

Arrangements and memorial services will be announced at a later date. As a courtesy, the family requests that there be no calls at this time.

The Camejo Family

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The family is planning private funeral services. A public memorial will be held in late fall or winter. Peter had discussed plans for his memorial with Claudette Begin and asked her to organize it. She will obviously need to be in contact with the many people he has been in touch with and affected over the years, and will welcome your help. She can be reached at achis@igc.org

People are invited to send hard copy reminiscences of Peter to be included at the memorial. Please send these to his brother Dan Ratner, The Camejo Group, 520 Third St., Ste. 201, Oakland, CA 94607-3505.
——————
From Wikipedia

Peter Miguel Camejo (December 31, 1939, New York City – September 13, 2008, Folsom, California) was an American author, activist and politician. In 2004, he was selected by independent candidate Ralph Nader as his vice-presidential running mate on a ticket which had the endorsement of the Reform Party.[1][2] Camejo was a three time Green Party gubernatorial candidate most recently in 2006 receiving 2.3% of the vote. Camejo also ran in the 2003 California recall election finishing fourth in a field of 135 candidates (2.8%), and 2002 finishing third with 5.3%. In January 2007, Camejo announced that he had been diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma, a cancer that is usually treatable.[3] As of March, 2008 after a series of chemotherapy treatments, the cancer was in remission,[4] but in May it was announced that doctors had made a second diagnosis of lymphoma.[5]

Read More

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Claudette Begin & Alex Chis
P.O. Box 2944
Fremont, CA 94536-0944
Phone: 510-489-8554
Email: achis@igc.org

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DESPITE POLICE RAIDS AND ARRESTS, MINNESOTA GREENS JOIN ANTIWAR, ANTIPOVERTY PROTESTS AT RNC

Posted on September 2, 2008 | 1 comment

Distributed by the Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org

Green Party of Minnesota
http://www.mngreens.org

For Immediate Release
September 1, 2008

Contacts: Rhoda Gilman: (651) 224-6383; Dave Bicking: (612) 276-1213, Spokespersons, Green Party of Minnesota

DESPITE POLICE RAIDS AND ARRESTS, MINNESOTA GREENS JOIN ANTIWAR, ANTIPOVERTY PROTESTS AT RNC

Greens have been among those targeted for harassment and intimidation by police in a wave of pre-emptive actions taken before the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

On Saturday police surrounded the home of Michael Whelan, a long-time Green Party supporter, whose Arise Bookstore at one time housed the party’s office. He was host to a group of independent journalists. The police broke down doors and subjected occupants to house arrest. “You figure this would be going on in South Africa, or Russia, not in St. Paul,” Whelan said. “St. Paul is nice.”

The previous night, police had invaded a meeting space in St. Paul rented by the anarchist RNC Welcoming Committee. They seized equipment and subjected some fifty people to handcuffing and search. Next day Monica Bicking, a leading member of the organization, was jailed along with three friends, and her home in Minneapolis was boarded up for alleged violation of city codes.
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STOP THE HOUSE ARRESTS IN MINNESOTA!!

Posted on September 1, 2008 | Leave a comment

Massive house arrests and detentions of activists and media have been occuring in Minneapolis during the RNC.  Please do what you can to speak out!
Power to the People! 
 
If you have a spare minute today or tomorrow, would you please pick up the phone and help the people that are being rounded up by calling Mayor Coleman?:
 
We are asking the public to contact the office of St. Paul, Mayor
Chris Coleman at 651-266-8510 to stop this house arrest, this gross
intimidation by police officers, and the detention of media activists
and reporters.
 
Feel free to pass that number 651-266-8510 out to all of your friends around the country that might have time to file a complaint with the mayor. 

 
          *            *            *            *             *            *           *             *             *
 
As we go about our important business today at the March on the RNC, let’s also remember those that can’t be with us on the streets.
 
 
Viva La Lucha!
 
Heidi  Sheen
 
 
THE ONLY THING THAT IS PERMANENT IS CHANGE. 
VOTE FOR REAL CHANGE:  McKinney/Clemente 2008  (www.votetruth08.com)

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Cynthia McKinney to file for President in Utah this week

Posted on September 1, 2008 | Leave a comment

MEDIA RELEASE – UTAHNS FOR CYNTHIA MCKINNEY and GREEN PARTY OF UTAH
CYNTHIA MCKINNEY TO FILE FOR PRESIDENT IN UTAH
PRESS CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD AT 9AM AT STATE CAPITOL

Contact information: Deanna Taylor, Utahns for Cynthia McKinney, 801.631.2998, info@utahns4mckinney.org

First all-women-of-color Presidential ticket in U.S. History, Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente, will file as Independent Candidates in Utah.

09.01.08, Salt Lake City – Cynthia McKinney, national Green Party (GPUS) candidate for President of the United States , will file for candidacy as an Independent Candidate in Utah Wednesday, September 3rd.

Cynthia McKinney is a six-term former Congresswoman from Georgia who quit the Democratic Party on her birthday in 2007 because the Democratic Party no longer represented her values. She joined the Green Party, campaigned for its Presidential nomination, and was nominated in Chicago at the Green Party National Convention on July 12 (www.votetruth08.com).
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Cynthia McKinney Speaks in Denver Colorado, before DNC

Posted on August 25, 2008 | 1 comment

Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney speaks at the R-eCreate ’68 rally outside the DNC on Sunday, August 24, 2008.

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Scientific American, CBS News, AP, CNN, Wash.Post, NYT discuss U.S. Voting Machine Flaws

Posted on August 22, 2008 | Leave a comment

This was forwarded to me by Utah: Count Votes!

Dear Citizens and Voters,

Recent (August) articles and videos by Scientific American, The Associated Press, CBS News, The NY Times, The Washington Post, a top Republican cyber-security expert, and others, discuss the flaws of
U.S. voting machines.

These articles and videos are particularly important because our national press has not until now diligently informed us on election integrity and voting system issues.

Of specific interest are:

1.  the videos by Republican security expert Stephen Spoonamore,

2. articles by Ph.D. computer scientists rebutting the recent book
“Electronic Elections” by e-voting proponents,

3. *Today’s* CNN’s Lou Dobbs report that Diebold/Premier has publicly admitted that its machines drop votes from entire touch-screen memory cards and has warned all jurisdictions that use its machines of the
“bug” that can lose hundreds of votes in each county.  (Lou Dobbs video should be publicly available on U-Tube by tomorrow.)

NOTE: Any very close recent election outcomes implemented Diebold/Premier touchscreen voting machines are in doubt.

———

Please read these articles or view these videos and support strong,
scientific post-election auditing procedures.

RECENT ARTICLES:

AP & USA Today:  States throw out costly electronic voting machines
Aug. 19, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jej6XIWrQn6-gw5O5bJa1ELx78DgD92LK3E00
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jej6XIWrQn6-gw5O5bJa1ELx78DgD92LLDO00
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-19-electronic-voting_N.htm

Scientific American: Planning to E-Vote? Read This First, Aug. 18, 2008
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=electronic-election-day

CBS News: Voting Machine Doubts Linger, Aug. 16, 2008
Concerns Over Vulnerability Of Electronic Machines Sending Many States
Back To Paper Ballots
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/16/eveningnews/main4355733.shtml

NY Times: Officials Say Flaws at Polls Will Remain in November, Aug. 16, 2008
[NOTE: Officials in two states admit that their voting machines are
not accurately casting or counting votes]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/us/politics/16vote.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/us/politics/16vote.html

Washington Post: Ohio Voting Machines Contained Programming Error That Dropped Votes, Aug. 21, 2008 [Note: States like MD with paperless voting cannot detect these errors in their vote counts using audits.
States like OH and UT can detect the dropped votes *if* they do valid audits (Utah does not. Ohio does)]
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/08/21/ohio_voting_machines_contained.html

Company acknowledges voting machine error, Aug. 21, 2008
http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=688274&c=y

Did Washington waste millions on faulty voting machines? Aug 15, 2008
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/election2008/story/48508.html

Voting System Standards: All Form and No Substance, June 12, 2008
http://washburnsworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/voting-system-standards-all-form-and-no.html

Opinion – Help Our Veterans Vote, Aug. 11, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/11/opinion/11bysiewicz.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Editorial – The Right to Vote, Aug. 9, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/09/opinion/09sat1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Editorial – A Bad Electronic Voting Bill, Aug. 3, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/opinion/03sun2.html?_r=3&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

States seek workarounds for e-voting systems
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/803

Veterans focus of Dem voting law reform
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12624.html

How do you compare security across voting systems? Aug. 19, 2008 by Dan Wallach, Rice U. Computer Scientist [This paper refutes the work of two political scientists Thad Hall (U. of Utah) and Michael Alvarez
(CA IT) (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8641.html)  who support e-voting and claim that “paper ballots would fail to meet the standards to which e-voting is held.” The computer scientists’ conclusion is that “Of voting technologies presently on the market and certified for use in most states, precinct-based optical scanning systems appear to have the best resistance to security attacks, based on our complexity analysis.” ]
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=1367
http://accurate-voting.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/risk-eval-final.pdf
http://www.josephhall.org/nqb2/index.php/2008/08/16/nakedeval
definitions:
O(1) attacks where one or a handful of attackers can change an
arbitrary number of ballots
O(P) attacks where you may need to get all P poll workers involved if
you want to tamper with N ballots
O(N) attacks that require you to bribe each voter individually

States rush to dump touch-screen voting systems, Aug. 21, 2008
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080820-states-rush-to-dump-touchscreen-voting-systems.html

Vote fraud, crumbling democracy’s bedrock, Aug. 21, 2008
http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20080822_Vote_fraud__crumbling_democracy_s_bedrock.html

RECENT VIDEOS:

Republican Cyber Security expert, Stephen Spoonamore,  says Diebold is
stealing elections (see segment #3):
Segment #1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAyEfovA404
Segment #2  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTBLfgos5b8&feature=related
Segment #3  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzKbigGoMoo&feature=related
Segment #4  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vNvweInGFs&feature=related
Segment #5  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX8fRwsTpoQ&feature=related

U-Tube UNCOUNTED CLIPS:
Each week until the election  UNCOUNTED will release a clip because
people need to see stories that will motivate them to stand up and
help save our democracy.

WEEK 7: The Electronic Voting Machine Hokey Pokey (You Put Your Right
Vote In. It Spits Your Wrong Vote Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqsL-KNiYJ8
Week 6:   The Sleeping Media  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdpclsWYomM
Week 5: Playing to Win with a Full Deck of Race Cards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-irWqvhpDo
Week 4: The Athan Gibbs Story http://youtube.com/watch?v=c8ewsDxXQD4
Week 3: [Utah discovery] Diebold’s Disreputable Distinction is Dead On
Deserved  http://youtube.com/watch?v=zwHX7zDVkuc
Week 2: Miller Dollar Programmer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7tjnuG-l6g
Week 1:  The Ballad of Steve Heller  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkhXzW32Rrs

TO OBTAIN A COPY OF THE FILM UNCOUNTED: http://www.uncountedthemovie.com

————
LWV, US links you to your State information. http://www.VOTE411.org
Check to be certain that you are registered to vote about a month
prior to the election.


The material expressed herein is the informed product of the author Kathy Dopp’s fact-finding and investigative efforts. Dopp is a Mathematician, Expert in election audit mathematics and procedures; in exit poll discrepancy analysis; and can be reached at

P.O. Box 680192
Park City, UT 84068
phone 435-658-4657

http://utahcountvotes.org
http://electionmathematics.org
http://electionarchive.org

How to Effectively Audit Election Outcome Accuracy
http://electionarchive.org/ucvAnalysis/US/paper-audits/VoteCountAuditBillRequest.pdf

History of Confidence Election Auditing Development & Overview of
Election Auditing Fundamentals
http://electionarchive.org/ucvAnalysis/US/paper-audits/History-of-Election-Auditing-Development.pdf

Voters Have Reason to Worry
http://utahcountvotes.org/UT/UtahCountVotes-ThadHall-Response.pd 

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Jackson Browne Sues McCain For Using ‘Running on Empty’

Posted on August 18, 2008 | Leave a comment

Published in the Los Angeles Times
Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song “Running on Empty” in a campaign ad — and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Browne, one of rock music’s most famous activists for liberal causes, is “incensed” that the presumptive Republican candidate for president has been using Browne’s signature 1977 song “Running on Empty” in campaign commercials, according to the singer-songwriter’s attorney. Browne filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against both McCain and the Republican National Committee on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the use of the forlorn arena anthem or any other Browne compositions, as well as damages.

They may be suing the wrong people. McCain spokesman Brian Rogers tells our colleague Seema Mehta in Colorado that the ad in question is not a McCain campaign ad but one put together by the Ohio Republican Party.

But Browne’s attorney, Lawrence Y. Iser, says they have the right defendants. “We have sued the Ohio Republican Party as well, and we have been informed and believe that McCain and his campaign were well aware of the ad. We are also informed and believe that the ad was broadcast on television in Ohio and Pennsylvania…. The fact that it appears on the Internet means it also reaches an audience well beyond those states.”

Iser said the lawsuit “is not politically motivated. It’s a copyright infringement lawsuit, pure and simple, but the fact that Sen. McCain has used this song in a hit-piece on Barack Obama is anathema to Jackson.”

Iser claims the McCain campaign has a track record of using music without permission.

Read more at Jackson Browne sues John McCain over song use”

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R68 and The Alliance for Real Democracy – the scoop

Posted on August 16, 2008 | Leave a comment

The controversy continues over the “movement of resistance and protest” at this year’s DNC in Colorado.
I’ve been reading an lot of commentary and articles in Green circles and blogs about this, and here is what I have gleaned so far.

The two major groups involved in organizing protests at the DNC are Recreate ’68(R68) and the Alliance for Real Democracy(ARD).

It seems the entire controversy surrounds philosophies of non-violent vs. violent resistance, with R68 supporting more non-pacifist type resistance than the ARD (see more below on their respective philosophies). One of the key values of the Green Party is non-violence. So there are Colorado Greens who vehemently have denounced the R68 over their philosophy of civil resistance and have allied themselves with the ARD. (Not to mention that they are hastily attempting to take McKinney off the ballot line there because she is speaking at the R68 event in addition to the ARD event. Not a good move for Green politics).

Now I’ve also read claims that the ARD is very co-opted and includes member organizations such as Code Pink which is said by some to be pro-Democrat and gives the cold-shoulder treatment to the Green Party.

The schedule for the Alliance for Real Democracy has released their schedule of events which I found at Slapstick Politics.

You can read more at:
Green Party Watch
On the Wilder Side

I have posted some things below from both the R68 and ARD websites on their principles and issues. Note that R68 does not openly advocate violent resistance, however if you read between the lines, they support the actions of those who choose that method. The ARD openly does not condone any type of violent resistance.

About R68 (from its website):
R68 agrees with the proposition, POTESTAS IN POPULO, “all power comes from the people.” What stands between the people and power are the party machines. The parties were devised as a means to represent the people. Today they represent nobody, not even party members, but only party bureaucracy. The people have been left without appropriate institutions for their representation. We intend to create those institutions!
Statement of Non-Violence and Principles
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US Groups File Election Complaint Against Wal-Mart

Posted on August 15, 2008 | Leave a comment

WAL-MART: VOTE FOR OBAMA  AND YOU COULD LOSE JOB
Published on Thursday, August 14, 2008 by Reuters
(Found on Common Dreams, http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/14/10996/)

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Labor groups on Thursday asked federal regulators to look into whether Wal-Mart Stores Inc broke the law during company meetings with store managers where it warned about the consequences of a proposed labor law backed by Democrats.

At issue is whether Wal-Mart’s discussion of the law, which would make it easier for workers to unionize, amounted to an effort to dissuade employees from voting for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Wal-Mart denies that it tried to influence voting.

Read more:  http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/14/10996

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Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney on No LIes Radio

Posted on August 14, 2008 | Leave a comment

http://www.noliesradio.org
Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney
Live Broadcast Thursday, August 14th: 6pm Pacific – 9pm Eastern – 01:00 GMT
Repeated Saturday, August 16th at 11am Pacific – 2pm Eastern – 18:00 GMT
This is a National 911Truth.org Movement Conference Call.
Cynthia McKinney
The Green Party Could Be Our Last Chance for 9/11 Truth, Stopping the Iran War and Martial Law!! Listen to Cynthia and the 911Truth Activists on the conference call. Then act to support the party of your choice and be sure to vote in November!
Not familiar with Rep. McKinney’s positions or history? Cynthia’s position on a wide variety of issues with a ‘candidate comparison chart’ can be accessed at the Chicago Tribune site. And you can read the Green Party 2008 draft platform and 10 Key Values at GP.org. Lest we forget … a bit of historical review: Cynthia McKinney, former Democratic Representative from Georgia and courageous spokesperson of the People for many years — a few of her most impressive accomplishments include:
• First to introduce Articles of Impeachment against George Bush, in 2006.
• Grilled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the Pentagon’s missing trillions and the 9/11 war games.
• In July 2005, she held a Congressional hearing into 9/11 on Capitol Hill
• Chaired “The 9/11 Omission Hearings” September 9, 2004 in New York City
• Continuously opposed the war and occupation of Iraq, speaking and voting against it at every opportunity
• Continued to fight for greater government transparency
• Introduced a bill to suspend depleted uranium munitions
• Demanded hearings and accountability into the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Already supportive of Cynthia, or just want to help make third parties a truly viable part of American politics? Please check www.runcynthiarun.org for ways to help with this process in this very critical time.

A small panel will ask the questions. Panel participants include: Carol Brouillet of Northern California 911Truth Alliance and CommunityCurrency.org, and candidate for US Congressional Rep, California 14th District; Bruno Bruhwiler of WeAreChange-LA; Jason King of Boston911Truth.org and 911Truth.org; and moderator Paul Deslauriers, Berkshire911truth.org and Grassroots Coordinator for 911Truth.org.

You are invited to listen in via phone (details below). Time: Thursday, August 14th at 6pm Pacific – 9pm Eastern, Call: 712-432-1001 Access Code: 433027266#
Or you can simply listen to the radio broadcast of this conference call on No Lies Radio Live on Thursday or rebroadcast on Saturday or hear the archived version later on at No Lies Radio or at 911Truth.org. Questions, transcripts, and other info will be posted at 911Truth.org later on. See radio schedule above.
 

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