Here's a site with a round up of what's happening so far with the Ohio voter fraud investigation. Lisa Rein's Report On Election 2004's Ohio Recount and Voting Fraud Situation

Via BoingBoing

A good couple of articles on what's wrong with MoveOn.org.

MoveOn.org: No Longer a Start-up or an Upstart Part 1 and Part 2

I felt this way a lot during the 2004 Election, especially with the negative ads they were running. The bridges of communication in this country are so damaged that people can't even see that the bridges of communication even existed. Why do we think people are so wrong all the time? MoveOn.org at one point, if I remember correctly, wanted to be the new bridge that allowed us to connect with each other about politics. They've showed recently that they would rather just be like every other mudslinger, extremist political group out there.

If you've never seen By The People on PBS, it's definitely something to watch. It seems like it would be great to get the right group of people together with differing views and have discussions like this all the time. These kind of interactions really help to bring an understanding between people of different backgrounds. You might not agree with them, but at least you'll understand them, and that will lead to compromise and realizations that you wouldn't have otherwise.

Just got this from my wife:

I just called the [Summit County, Ohio] Board of Elections to see if my registration was fixed, it is.

I also called to see if my ballot had been counted and they said they wouldn't know until at least Friday. According to that card they gave me they should have known as of Nov 17. I did hear that they were having a huge amount of problems, but I didn't think that it would have put off the counting this long.

Posted here for clarification on her email:

Please reprint my apologies for anyone who republished this who mutated my original email, dropped syntax or letters rendering the thing unintelligible. I am generally a better speller than the mutations that have appeared all over the web in which each version of "my" email becomes more and more over the top and inflammatory.

Please tell everyone that there is a serious and concerted sincere effort to right the wrongs done in this last election concerning the many ways that suppression, fraud and intentional intimidation disenfranchise people. I believe deeply in Democracy and it is my sincere goal to make sure that the truest more accurate reflection of the people's will is reflected when it is time for the person who swears on the Bible to uphold the Constitution as our Commander in Chief actually does that. John Kerry should rightfully be our next President. That is my sincerest most heart-felt view. I don't know how else to express it. I will go to my grave believing it even if he does not want the job.

Cynthia L. Butler

Thank you Cynthia for helping out with this so much and setting the record straight on this email.

I just got this email from a friend and I'm wondering how legit it is.

Everyone! Please forward to all who have specifics on vote fraud. The send-to address below is John Kerry's brother at his law firm. Kerry will unconcede if there is solid evidence of fraud. We need first hand sufferers so please get this info to them!!

FORWARD TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW
EMAIL FROM DC LAWYER CYNTHIA BUTLER

I am angry and getting emails and recrimination from people wondering why KERRY just caved and is not fighting this before the final count in Ohio, efore any of the fraud was challenged, before New Mexico and Iowa even came in.

There is widespread feeling that he did not lose the election and that it was taken from him.

There is enough here to warrant investigation and enough to challenge the results. It's coming from all corners.

I understand that he has until the official count certification in Ohio to UnConcede which is several days from now.

Anyone who thinks that he should unconcede should give reasons why - whatever they noticed, particularly in Red Republican Governed States using electronic machines- and send them directly to Cameron KERRY, John Kerry's brother at his law firm at the address CKerry@Mintz.com Editor's Note:(They should actually be sent to VRI (Voting Rights Institute) at VRI@DNC.COM. Do not send any emails to Cameron Kerry.)

They should inform us if they were not allowed to vote provisionally (for whatever reason- they lost forms, ran out of forms, etc.) I personally witnessed a number of things as I reported in Texas with the DCCC. (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee)

If you know anyone in particular in Ohio who tried to vote and was turned away at the polls please get their information and notify the campaign.

They should be notified if they experienced lines longer than four hours -particularly elderly or infirm people (we call that torture when they do it to political prisoners) . They should be notified if people were told as has been reported that due to too many people showing up in African American precincts, particularly in Ohio where there were too few booths (some only had two or three for the entire precinct) and told because of heavy turn out they could vote on Wednesday. If the numbers of these sorts of incidents ceates a percentage margin that exceeds the margin of victory- Un Concession has to be made to challenge the count.

If people wanted to and tried to vote and were prevented or actively discouraged from doing so, that is a Civil Rights matter and must be dealt with in terms of the ultimate count.

This is the last email that I am writing on this subject in this venue. I am taking it up in other venues.

Please pass along this to your listservs so that we may make Democracy Work in America. We are not a country where he who cheats best wins.

Cynthia L. Butler
BUTLER LAW FIRM, P.C.
1717 K St. NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036

My main concern is that it is a chain letter. I only got it because a friend sent it to me. She only got it because a friend sent it to her, etc.

Also, it's so poorly written. Mispelled (sp?) words are rampant. "ceates" and "efore" are examples. Sentences are painful to read, like "If people wanted to and tried to vote and were prevented or actively discouraged from doing so, that is a Civil Rights matter and must be dealt with in terms of the ultimate count." I don't even know what that sentence means. Also the act of capitalizing KERRY everywhere and UnConcede makes this a highly suspicious email.

Google has no recollection of anyone named Cynthia L. Butler and there is no law firm called Butler Law Firm, P.C. that I can find anywhere.

But...

There is a Cameron F. Kerry at with a Mintz.com email address at Mintz Levin law firm in Boston, Mass. but it lists his email as cfkerry@mintz.com, not ckerry@mintz.com. This is definitely his brother by the way.

I am surprised that if this is real, no one else has heard of it. Seems like it would have a big press release, not sent to your local 'listserv'. I haven't seen it on any "real" blogs or discussion anywhere. Got proof if this is real or fake? Post a comment.

Update: A comment has been posted from Cynthia Butler herself! If anyone wonders about the authenticity of the comment, it was posted from an AOL IP address and an aol.com email was sent with the comment. I may follow up with her later to see what's happening with this.

I just sent her the following email:

Cynthia, you said that the email, publication on the web, and additions to the email were not authorized by you. If you want this posting removed from www.firstclown.us, or if you would like the original posted, I can do that. Just let me know.

I felt that since the email was being circulated as a chain letter, it was important to post it in it's entirety on the web, especially in the era of hoax emails and faulty information on the web. To know and verify that this email is true and accurate is important information for everyone to know.

But like I said, if you want it removed or corrected in anyway, I will do it.

Also, are you working directly with Cameron Kerry or are you just supporting the practice of sending him proof of voter fraud? I wondered if he had authorized his mention in the email (before it was an email) or if you had taken the proactive stance of getting it all started.

PS - I'm a horrible speller too, by the way. Spell check saves my life.

Update Update:

Here's the latest email:

Joe; you should publish the letter that Cameron wrote in thanking people for sending him facts and directing them to the VRI@DNC.COM

You could also publish the letter from the Ohio Kerry-Edwards chief attorney.

Additionally, you might publish the letter that came out from Kerry himself.

Most or all of this is on this livejournal site.

My email is now outdated as it has been supplanted by the superceeding Cameron Kerry email.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/johnkerry04/624056.html

Here's the Cameron Kerry Letter:

I am grateful to the many people who have contacted me to express their deep concern about questions of miscounting, fraud, vote suppression, and other problems on election day, especially in Florida and Ohio. Their concern reflects how much people care about the outcome of this election.

I want to you to know we are not ignoring it. Election protection lawyers are still on the job in Ohio and Florida and in DC making sure all the votes are counted accurately. I have been conferring with lawyers involved and have made them aware of the information and concerns people have given me. Even if the facts don't provide a basis to change the outcome, the information will inform the continuing effort to protect the integrity of our elections.

If you have specific factual information about voting problems that could be helpful to the lawyers doing their job, please send it to vri@dnc.org

The election protection effort has been important to me personally, and I am proud of the 17,000 lawyers around the country who helped. It's obvious that we have a way to go still, but their efforts helped make a difference. Their work goes on.

Thank you,

Cam Kerry

Also, the Ohio recount rules are clarified here.

You should be able to find everything else at the livejournal site posted above.