28.10.04

From: John Morse
Date: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:11:30 PM US/Central
To: fritz@theblade.com
Subject: Re: Challenges Filed against 931 Lucas County Voters

Fritz Wenzel, political writer
The Toledo Blade
Toldeo, Ohio
fritz@theblade.com
(419) 724-6134

Mr. Wenzel:

The following was sent to me by a "friend of a friend". If any of this is news to you, I might be able to track down the source.

"This is really just a message to vent and to spread the word that I truly do not believe the election in Ohio will be a fair one. Yesterday, I received a letter from the county board of elections stating that some random woman named Joelle Clink has challenged my right to vote. she filed a petition to the county saying that I am not a real person, that I do not live in Ohio and therefore my name is to be removed from the voter registration list and I will not be allowed to vote on Tuesday. If I
want to contest this, because obviously the burden of proof should be on me to prove that I exist rather than on Joelle actually proving that I don't exist before filing such a petition, I have to attend a court hearing this Saturday at 11am and testify that am eligible to vote. But it is not just me. Two other people in my department alone also got this letter. And so did 928 other individuals in Toledo. Interestingly if you look at the list of people being challenged what you see are academics and people residing in poor areas of town. Draw your own conclusions. I am furious. I can't believe that this person is able to, on no basis whatsoever, just decide that people are not eligible to vote. I registered to vote back in august following all the proper procedures. I should not be required to spend all day Saturday in court trying to get my right to vote back because some woman claims I do not exist. One of the other faculty members in the department has already contacted an attorney. If I can not vote on Tuesday you better believe that all hell will break lose."


According to your article, the list of 931 names was thought perhaps to have been collected from undeliverable mail returned to the elections board. According to the author of the above email, the list of 931 names appears to over-represent 'academics and people residing in poor areas of town.' I have no idea if this is true. Obviously if true, that would add a new dimension to the story. I question how a list generated at the elections board would make its way into the hands of what was obviously an organized effort to mass-produce the challenges which were filed, perhaps being "filtered" for voting behavior predictions along the way. Then there is the claim by the email author that she registered to vote in August. I could understand if a voter hadn't been heard from in several years, but one piece of returned mail in three months doesn't seem like a just cause. Is there anything to prevent me, a random guy in Alabama, from telling Bernadette Noe that you don't exist and perhaps thereby requiring you to attend a hearing to re-establish your voting rights? It seems more than outrageous. Perhaps it is.
One for the History Books

A minute-by-minute account by ESPN's Bill Simmons of Game 4 of the 2004 World Series as broadcast on FOX.

"6:49 -- Well, we had the lunar eclipse. I think this is a good sign. More importantly, Bonnie Tyler gets to fill out a 1090-form this year -- Fox just replayed the moon with 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' playing in the background. Plus, the Red Sox are trying to complete a World Series sweep. This is officially the weirdest night of all-time.

[...]You know what? It's not happening for the Cards. It's just not. They should just put on Finland's 1980 hockey uniforms and get it over with. At the rate they're going, they may not even get 10 minutes in the Red Sox World Series DVD
"

27.10.04

THE CHOCOLATE ROOM

Elvis had 'The Jungle Room.' T.O. has 'The Chocolate Room.' Owens has a place in his home where he can get away and relax. That room for Owens is The Chocolate Room, located in the basement of his 6 bedroom home in suburban Atlanta.

'That's where I escape,' said Owens. 'Everything is chocolate-colored and over-sized. Not many people go in that room.'

Owens is not kidding about limiting access to the room. You need to know the combination to get trough the door. Once inside it's extremely plush, from the sofas to the carpeting. With a stereo system and a plasma screen TV, he's got all the ingredients to chill out.

'The way I've set it up I never have to go out,' said Owens. 'We can have a good time right in my house.'

Along with the Chocolate Room, Owens home includes a fully loaded pool hall and an indoor basketball gymnasium. With pool tables, pin ball games, an air hockey table and an assortment of video games, it's safe to say there's a competitive nature in his home.

'It gets pretty competitive in my house,' he said. 'Whether we're playing basketball, dominoes or shooting pool, by the end of the night the loser's going to be doing pushups.' "


Read more pap at terrellowens.com!

26.10.04

Bush Relatives for Kerry

"Because blood is thinner than oil."
The Words of the Balladeer - Episode 5, "High Octane"

Ya'll settle down an' hang around.

That's Bo an' Luke Duke. And from the way they're duded up they've got somethin' cookin'. And you know it ain't girls cuz it's still daylight.

That's Uncle Jesse, the Duke patriarch. And that means he's the boss.

Sometimes it's just as hard to figure out what Boss IS interested in, as it is to figure out what he's really talkin' about.

Explainin' something -- Anything -- to Rosco is never easy. But this time, the Boss seems to be gettin' through. Maybe it's his technique.

Now, for all you culturally DE-prived, "Jukin" is an event that combines music, exercise, and social intercourse on a high plane.

Uh-huh. Ya'll gettin' it now? Ol' Bo and Luke figured to get her all passed-out and out of the way for about twelve hours.

Early next morning they unveiled "Sweet Tilly," a real sweetheart with a leaded body, a hot engine and racing shocks. Jesse and Tilly were a legend. And although he hadn't made a run with her in several years, Ol' Jesse kept her tuned up and ready.

Ya'll stick around for the barbecue, ya hear?

Did you ever see a smugger man in all your born days? Ol' Boss is sittin' pretty cuz he knows the Duke family moonshine will run a motor, is a pretty fair antifreeze, and a durn good remedy for warts and catarrh.

Now right now Ol' Boss is happier than a hog knee deep in slop.

The contest rules state that you either provide a pollution-free engine or a clean fuel that runs an internal combustion engine an' Ol' Boss can hardly wait.

Listen, cuz this ain't over yet. Trouble just startin', cuz now the Dukes got to keep runnin' till they burn up the evidence in Jesse's tank - or they're gonna be sittin' in jail while the government sorts this thing out. How'd you like to be doin' that?

You ever see two hounds fightin' over the same bone? Well the Dukes are feelin' kinda like that bone.

And that's the legend of how Jesse and the boys made both legal and illegal booze and they all made a new friend. Especially Bo.

22.10.04

Hobby Lobby Store Music:

"The music you hear in Hobby Lobby Stores is provided through a Signature Channel, delivered by satellite to each store location. The musical selections are carefully chosen to enhance your shopping experience.

Hobby Lobby music covers a variety of styles. You may hear such artists and selections as John Tesh performing Avalon; Jim Brickman - If You Believe; Vince Gill - Amazing Grace; Steve Devick - Precious Memories; Phil Keaggy - Spend My Life With You; Zoe Girl - With All My Heart, and The Brentwood Jazz Quartet with Praise To The Lord The Almighty. Other recognized artists such as Yo -Yo Ma, Sam Levine, Kirk Whalum, Don Moen, and Christopher Parkening, help to weave a wonderful mix of Classical, Light Jazz, Contemporary, and Bluegrass styles.

Our customers have told us for years that Hobby Lobby is a favorite place to browse. We work hard to create a pleasant environment that is clean and orderly, in which beautiful products are displayed in an attractive manner. We desire to create an atmosphere that is not only beautiful but relaxing to the senses. What better way to lift your spirits than with music, creating the perfect Audio Ambience."
Get Smart!

The Smart car, ubiquitous in Europe's narrow streets and crazy-quilt parking lots, is finally headed to the U.S. - Incrementally and starting with some sort of mini-SUV.

Here's the article from Wired.

"...conventional wisdom in the States dismissed the diminutive city car as the Speedo of the automotive world - fashionable abroad but way too small."

21.10.04

The Sim-Pol Life

strategery

Amanda made Sims of Bush, Kerry, Edwards, Hussein & Osama for amusement - but soon, things took a turn for the sickening...

Visit with Sim Bush & Sim Kerry! (But don't say I didn't warn you.)

8.10.04

Who am I? Why am I here?

I'm not a politician -- everybody knows that. So don't expect me to use the language of the Washington insider. Thirty-seven years in the Navy, and only one of them up there in Washington. And now I'm an academic.

The centerpiece of my life was the Vietnam War. I was there the day it started. I led the first bombing raid against North Vietnam. I was there the day it ended, and I was there for everything in between. Ten years in Vietnam, aerial combat, and torture. I know things about the Vietnam War better than anybody in the world. I know some things about the Vietnam War better than anybody in the world.

And I know how governments, how American governments can be -- can be courageous, and how they can be callow. And that's important. That's one thing I'm an insider on.

I was the leader of the underground of the American pilots who were shot down in prison in North Vietnam. You should know that the American character displayed in those dungeons by those fine men was a thing of beauty.

I look back on those years as the beginning of wisdom, learning everything a man can learn about the vulnerabilities and the strengths that are ours as Americans.

Why am I here tonight? I am here because I have in my brain and in my heart what it takes to lead America through tough times.
- Vice Admiral James Stockdale's opening statement in the October 13, 1992 Vice-Presidential Debate

7.10.04

What a Country!

"At noon Monday, Yakov Kasman's phone rang in Birmingham, Ala. Calmer was on the line, asking if the 37-year-old Russian could play the Rachmaninoff concerto in Portland that night. Kasman, who won the silver medal in the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, was just about to begin a day of teaching at the University of Alabama. He'd never been to Portland, had never met Kalmar and had never played a concerto without a rehearsal. And this was Rach 3. He hadn't played a note of it since March.

One seat remained on a plane to Portland. It left in 90 minutes."


Read the whole inspiring story from the Portland Oregonian


6.10.04

to the Honorable Artur Davis, United States House of Representatives

Re: H.R.10, "The 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act of 2004"

I am very concerned about the example the United States is setting with regard to human rights and global justice. It is one thing to decry abuses and beat one's chest about freedom and democracy. It is apparently quite another thing to stand up for justice when it doesn't appear to serve our direct short term strategic interests. The bill that is before the house that would allow the US to "outsource" interrogation to countries with less restrictions on methodology is shameful. I encourage you not only to vote against any bill that undermines human rights, but to speak loudly on behalf of the people in the Seventh District who would help bear the guilt and shame if such abuses are allowed to perservere. - John Morse

"When the Republicans 9/11 bill is considered in the House, I intend to offer an amendment to strike the torture outsourcing provisions from the Republican bill and replace it with restrictions restoring international law as provided in my bill. It is absolutely disgraceful that the Republican Leadership has decided to load up the 9/11 Commission bill with legislative provisions that would legitimize torture, particularly when the Commission itself called for the U.S to move in exactly the opposite direction." - Rep. Ed Markey (Massachusetts)

5.10.04

Definitely NOT Flip-Flopping

American Weapons Inspector in Iraq Charles Duelfer: "Saddam did not have stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, but left signs that he had idle programs he someday hoped to revive."

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan: "The fact that he had the intent and capability to build weapons of mass destruction, and that he was trying to undermine the sanctions that were in place is very disturbing, and I think the report will continue to show that he was a gathering threat that needed to be taken seriously, that it was a matter of time before he was going to begin pursuing those weapons of mass destruction. There are clearly ties between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaida, There are clearly some disturbing similarities that existed as well.[...] Both were sworn enemies of the free world, including the United States; both celebrated the Sept. 11 attacks on America. We know there were senior-level contacts between the regime and al-Qaida — the 9/11 commission documented that.

9/11 Commission Report: "While there were 'friendly contacts' between Iraq and al-Qaida and a common hatred of the United States, none of these contacts ever developed into a collaborative relationship.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (Monday AM): "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two [Saddam Hussein and Al-Quaida]."

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (Monday PM): "Regrettably [I] was misunderstood. [I have said] since September 2002 that there were ties between Osama bin Laden's terror group and Iraq.

- All from this
Yahoo! News story

4.10.04

What happened last week?

gas price chart
Master Debating

Connie Rice (the NPR commentator, not Condi Rice, the National Security Flip-Flopper) lists the Top 10 Secrets They Don't Want You to Know About the Debates. Someday historians might refer to the "Democratic Era" in the United States as the period between 1797 and 1986.